Purpose: To study the incidence of refractive errors in different socioeconomic populational groups and the cost of their correction. Method: 50 patients with refractive errors were divided into 2 groups. Group I was comprised of new outpatients at the Ophthalmic Center of the Hospital Universitário Evangélico de Curitiba (HUEC). Group II consisted of doctors and medical students of HUEC who volunteered for the study. Patients' sex, age, income, educational level, visual acuity, refractive errors and expenses for their correction were recorded. All patients were submitted to ophthalmologic examination. Results: Patients in group I averaged 48.5 years of age and a monthly income of about 5 times the Brazilian minimum wage (mw). Hyperopia was the most frequent refractive error. The corresponding findings for group II were 24.4 years of age, monthly income over 20 times mw and myopia was the most frequent. Conclusions: Yearly expenses amounted to a minimum of 0.3 mw for glasses, minimum of 1.4 mw for contact lenses and refractive surgery of 5.9 mw. We concluded that refractive surgery is a good indication for both groups in the long run.
Refractive errors; Socioeconomic aspects
