Ahmed T Alahmar
University of Babylon, Iraq
Title: The effect of visual acuity and anemia on academic performance of pharmacy students
Biography
Biography: Ahmed T Alahmar
Abstract
Background: Reduced visual acuity and anaemia have been implicated in students poor academic performance along with other medical conditions. The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of reduced visual acuity and anaemia among pharmacy students at the University of Babylon, Iraq and their effects on students academic performance
Methods: Ninety-five students (25 males and 70 females) who met the inclusion criteria were screened for refractive errors using the Snellen chart. A subset of forty-eight students (18 males and 30 females) were also screened for anaemia and RBC indices were estimated by haematology autoanalyzer. Students average grades of four subjects (out of 40) were compared between different subgroups.
Results: The prevalence of refractive errors among students was 10.5% and the prevalence of anaemia was 18.7% (average Hb 11.26 ± 1.13 g/dl). Students average grades did not differ among students with reduced visual acuity as compared to those with normal visual acuity (24.69 ± 3.16 vs. 25.65 ± 4.01 respectively). Students grades also did not differ between students with anaemia in comparison with those without anaemia (26.50 ± 3.73 vs. 25.77 ± 3.83 respectively).
Conclusions: Refractive errors and anaemia are prevalent among pharmacy students. Our study demonstrated no difference in students grades among students with refractive errors or anaemia in comparison with normal students which could be due to mild forms of these conditions in students.