This is the first population based study on ocular biometric measurements (OBMs) conducted in Malaysia. Its objective is to measure and compare among children of different ethnicity who have myopia and emmetropia. Subsets of children aged between 7 and 8 years old who participated in a larger population based refractive error study had their axial length, anterior chamber depth, lens thickness and vitreous depth measured using A scan and vertical and horizontal corneal curvature measured using an autokeratorefractometer. Eighty eight of the 870 children (10.1%) examined had myopia. Boys, Chinese and children with myopia had significantly longer axial length and vitreous depth compared to girls, Malay and Indian and children who were emmetropic respectively. Girls and children with myopia had steeper corneal curvature. The baseline OBMs in Malaysian children of different ethnicity are valuable for studies in myopia progression. Like other studies, children with myopia have longer axial length (P <0.001). and vitreous depth (P <0.001) compared to children who are emmetropia (without myopia).

Background: The epidemiological study of vision problems is important for developing national strategies for the prevention of visual impairment. There was a lack of information regarding vision problems among school children in East Malaysia. The purpose of this study was to compare the refractive errors and degrees of visual impairment between Native Iban and Malay school children who participated in a formal government vision loss prevention programme conducted in a rural area of Betong Division, Malaysia. Methods: In total, 293 Native Iban and Malay school children (Standard 1, Standard 6, and Form 3) received refractive assessments by an optometrist after failing tests in the formal government school vision screening programme in 2008. A criterion for referral was a visual acuity of 6/9 or worse in either eye. Assessments of the refractive errors of the children were performed using dry retinoscopy and subjective refraction techniques at community clinics. Results: The overall prevalences of refractive error and visual impairment among the sampled populations were 47.7% and 3.5%, respectively. Approximately 97.1% of reported cases were myopia. The Malay sample population was found to be more myopic than the Native Iban population (U = 8240.50, P < 0.05, r = 0.14), but no significant association was found between myopia and ethnicity (χ2 = 2.66, P > 0.05). Both Native Iban and Malay children in education levels higher than Standard 1 were more likely to have myopia (P < 0.05). Myopia was found to be more likely to affect females than males at a statistically significant level among Native Iban children (χ2 [1.N = 170] = 6.279, P < 0.05, odds ratio = 2.327, 95% CI = 1.184–4.575). There was no statistically significant association between visual impairment and ethnicity (χ2 = 1.60, P > 0.05). Approximately 94.1% of children with refractive errors suffered from having either the wrong prescription (7.8%) or having uncorrected refractive errors (92.2%). Conclusion: The Native Iban population was found to be less myopic than the Malay population despite having a similar frequency of myopia. The proportion of children with myopia increased with the level of education in both ethnicities. A high percentage of untreated refractive error problems among Native Iban and Malay children in the Betong Division indicates that there is a need for government intervention for the purpose of economic and healthcare improvements.

INTRODUCTIONThe visual status of children with learning disabilities has not been extensively studied. This study aimed to compare vision disorders between children in mainstream classes and those with learning disabilities attending special education classes in government primary schools in Malaysia.

METHODSIn this cross-sectional comparative study, 60 school children (30 from mainstream classes and 30 from special education classes) who were matched in age (6-12 years old) and ethnicity (Malay, Chinese and Indian) were examined. The subjects were recruited using non-probability convenience sampling. A complete eye examination was performed to detect three major vision disorders, namely refractive error, lag of accommodation and convergence insufficiency.

RESULTSThe overall prevalence of refractive error, lag of accommodation and convergence insufficiency was found to be 65.0%, 43.3% and 35.2%, respectively. Convergence insufficiency (χ² = 24.073, p < 0.001) was found to be associated with children in special education classes. No association was found between refractive error and lag of accommodation (p > 0.05) with the type of classes.

CONCLUSIONChildren in special education classes are more likely to have convergence insufficiency compared to children in mainstream classes. Thus, vision screening programmes for children in special education classes may need to be modified.

Child ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Education, Special ; Female ; Humans ; Learning Disorders ; complications ; epidemiology ; Mainstreaming (Education) ; Malaysia ; epidemiology ; Male ; Prevalence ; Schools ; Vision Disorders ; epidemiology ; Vision Screening ; methods ; Visual Acuity

Humans ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/epidemiology* ; Liver Neoplasms/epidemiology* ; Prothrombin ; Biomarkers

The COVID-19 outbreak continues to evolve with the number of cases increasing in Malaysia, placing a significant burden on general practitioners (GPs) to assess and manage suspected cases. GPs must be well equipped with knowledge to set up their clinics, use Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) appropriately, adopt standard protocols on triaging and referrals, as well as educate patients about PPE. The correct use of PPE will help GPs balance between personal safety and appropriate levels of public concern.