Mahmood Ali, Aashiq Hussain, Zargham Ali Malik.
Presentation and objective findings in asthenopic patients at a tertiary eye care hospital.
Al-Shifa J Ophthalmol Jan ;2(2):48-53.

Purpose: To report the relative frequency of various complaints and objective findings in asthenopic patients at Al Shifa Trust Eye Hospital, Rawalpindi. Design of study: A hospital based cross sectional observational study. Participants: Randomly selected 100 asthenopic patients aged 16 years and above presenting at the outpatient department of Al Shifa Trust Eye Hospital, Rawalpindi from 01 July 2005 to 31 December 2005. Methods: After taking history, a detailed ocular examination of all the patients including assessment of unaided and best corrected visual acuity, ocular movements, slit lamp biomicroscopy and fundoscopy was performed. A Performa was used to record these findings. Frequencies and percentages of various complaints and objective findings were then assessed using statistical software SPSS version 11.0. Results: Out of the 100 patients examined, there were 57 males and 43 females, with a male to female ratio of 1.33:1. Mean age of the patients was 30.35 (+/-5.25 SD) years. 59 patients presented with more than one complaint. Most frequent asthenopic symptom was blurred vision (31%), followed by headache (28%) and eye aches (24.0%). Most frequent objective finding was refractive errors in 45% patients, followed by presbyopia in 18%, dry eyes in 13%, heterophorias in 9% and convergence insufficiency in 7%. All refractive errors were in mild to moderate range. Asthenopic complaints were most frequent in office workers (29%) and students (26%). Conclusion: Pakistani population seems to present with almost similar asthenopic symptoms as in other races although frequency of various symptoms and objective findings differ. Preschool screening in children can help to decrease the turnout of patients with asthenopic complaints. Proper lighting conditions, anti-glare filters, and regular work breaks may help to reduce visual discomfort in office workers.

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