THE ACCOMMODATIVE PROFILE OF ABIA STATE UNIVERSITY STUDENTS THAT VISITED THE CLINIC

This study examines the accommodative profile of students at Abia State University, identifying the prevalence and nature of accommodative and refractive errors among students that visited the clinic through various optometric tests. This was a cross-sectional study design and comprised data from 198 University students aged 16 – 27 years with mean age of 20.9 ± 2.96 years. This comprised of 112 (56.6%) males and 86 (43.4%) females. The mean age of the male subjects was 21.0 ± 3.1 years while that of the female subjects was 20.8 ± 2.8 years. Findings revealed that 13.1% had accommodative anomalies and 39.4% had refractive errors, with hyperopia being the most common at 28.3% and accommodative infacility the most prevalent anomaly at 6.6%. Accommodative dysfunctions were more frequent in hyperopic patients, and gender differences showed higher anomaly rates in males and hyperopia in females. The study underscores the importance of regular optometric evaluations and targeted interventions to address these issues, enhancing students' visual comfort, academic performance, and overall quality of life.