The Relationship Between Breastfeeding and Measurements of Refraction and Visual Acuity in Primary School Children

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Abstract
Background: Nutrition has been implicated in the development of some refractive errors. This study aims to investigate the relationship between refractive errors, visual acuity (VA), and Breastfeeding. Methodology: In this cross-sectional study, cluster sampling was used to select 400 children aged 1–5. Fieldwork for the main study took place from September 2005 to May 2006 in two public schools of Sabzevar, Iran. Breastfeeding was defined as 6 months or more feeding. A significant refractive error was defined as at least −0.50 diopters (D) for myopia, +0.50D for hyperopia, and −0.50D for astigmatism. In addition, refractive error was calculated by converting it to spherical equivalent (SE). Statistical analysis used includes Descriptive statistics; Spearman correlation coefficients; one-way ANOVA; independent sample t-test; and Pearson chi-square test. Results: Finally, 367 children were selected: 156 boys (42.5%) and 211 girls (57.5%). Three hundred eleven subjects (85%) had Breastfeeding. According to SE in right eye, 25.5% and 5.2% of the subjects were hyperopic and myopic, respectively, in the breastfed group, compared to 26.8% and 5.4% in the non-Breastfeeding group. In addition, hyperopia and myopia were less observable in breastfeeders than the other group for left eye. Mean VA and refractive error were different according to feeding type, but this study did not show statistically significant differences between the two groups; however, for exact judgment about these findings, more studies are suggested with a larger sample size. Conclusion: In conclusions based on the results, there was no significant relationship between kind of feeding during the first 6 months of infancy and VA and refractive errors.

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