AIM:To investigate the classification and cause of visual impairment among students in Tianjin Visual Impaired School, and analyze the rehabilitation effect of different kinds of visual aids to provide guidance for the visual impairment rehabilitation.

METHODS:A total of 86 students in Tianjin Visual Impaired School were recruited in August and September, 2019. The classification and main cause of visual impairment were evaluated by visual acuity, refractive test and eye examination. The rehabilitation effects of 3 kinds of far visual aids and near visual aids were compared in the group of blindness and low vision, respectively.

RESULTS:A total of 86 students(49 blindness and 37 low vision)have improved the distant vision using visual aids(F=110.59, P<0.01). The distant visual acuity in the low vision group was better than the blindness(F=184.06, P<0.01). The main cause of visual impairment was congenital ocular dysplasia in 26 cases(30%). There was no difference in the rate without visual impairment using the 3 kinds of far visual aids in both group of blindness and low vision. There was also no difference in the reading performance rate using the 3 kinds of near visual aids in the blindness, while the effect of electronic aids was significantly better than hand magnifiers and glasses aids in the low vision group(χ²=7.974, 10.571, all P<0.01).

CONCLUSION:The main cause of visual impairment in children is congenital eye diseases, and appropriate visual aids can enhance the rehabilitation effect. The effect of electronic aids was better than hand magnifiers and glasses aids in low vision children.