Prevalence and risk factors of myopia amongst Grade 8 learners in the Vhembe district, South Africa (original) (raw)
Related papers
A Comprehensive Study on Prevalence of Myopia in School Going Children
Scholars International Journal of Anatomy and Physiology, 2019
Myopia is one of the commonest manifestations affecting school going children. Excessive use of gadgets forms the prime cause apart from the other cause like malnutrition, economic status or genetic conditions. The aim is to study the prevalence of myopia in school children in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. With required permissions from the school authorities, five schools were enrolled in the study. 1738 school children of classes 6 th-10 th with age ranging from 9-15 years were registered. There were 982 boys and 756 girls. The method of examination has been clearly explained to them. The results were represented graphically. The prevalence of myopia from the present study from the students of Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh was 7.30%. Girls were more affected 8.33%. When the socio economic status was considered, more students from low socio economic group were found to be affected with myopia. The maximum number of students having myopia was in the age group of 12 years. The students were addressed and the results were explained to them. They were adviced the required measures to prevent further progress of the condition. The students with symptoms were suggested for an Ophthalmic consultation.
The epidemiology of myopia in school children worldwide
Acta Ophthalmologica, 2019
Background: Due to high prevalence myopia has gained importance in epidemiological studies. Children with early onset are at particular risk of complications associated with myopia, as progression over time might result in high myopia and myopic macular degeneration. Both genetic and environmental factors play a role in the increasing prevalence of myopia. The aim of this study is to review the current literature on epidemiology and risk factors for myopia in school children (aged 6-19 years) around the world. Main body: PubMed and Medline were searched for the following keywords: prevalence, incidence, myopia, refractive error, risk factors, children and visual impairment. English language articles published between Jan 2013 and Mar 2019 were included in the study. Studies were critically reviewed for study methodology and robustness of data. Eighty studies were included in this literature review. Myopia prevalence remains higher in Asia (60%) compared with Europe (40%) using cycloplegic refraction examinations. Studies reporting on non-cycloplegic measurements show exceptionally high myopia prevalence rates in school children in East Asia (73%), and high rates in North America (42%). Low prevalence under 10% was described in African and South American children. In recent studies, risk factors for myopia in schoolchildren included low outdoor time and near work, dim light exposure, the use of LED lamps for homework, low sleeping hours, reading distance less than 25 cm and living in an urban environment. Conclusion: Low levels of outdoor activity and near work are well-established risk factors for myopia; this review provides evidence on additional environmental risk factors. New epidemiological studies should be carried out on implementation of public health strategies to tackle and avoid myopia. As the myopia prevalence rates in noncycloplegic studies are overestimated, we recommend considering only cycloplegic measurements.
2019
Background: Refractive errors are considered as major public health issue as these are most common type of eye disorders. Uncorrected refractive errors are the main cause of avoidable visual impairment which can lead to educational and social disability in adulthood. Objective: To find out the prevalence of refractive errors among secondary school children in Islamabad Pakistan. Methodology: This was a cross sectional study with sample size of 1430 secondary school students. The age of participants was 11-16 years. Data was collected through multistage sampling technique. Vision screening was carried out by Snellen chart and for students with visual acuity ≤ 6/12 refractive status was measured by auto-refractor. Subjective refraction was done according to auto-refractor's results. Myopia, Hypermetropia and astigmatism were defined as Spherical Equivalent (S.E) of ≥-0.5 diopter (D), ≥ +1.0 diopter (D) and ≥ 0.75 D respectively. Students detected with refractive errors were evaluated for different variables. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 23 software program, frequencies and percentages were calculated. Results: After screening of 1430 students 240 were detected with refractive errors. Overall prevalence of refractive errors was calculated as 16.78%. Out of 240 students with refractive errors myopia was found in 135 (56.3%) student and hyperopia was detected in 46 (19.2%) students. Myopic and hypermetropic astigmatism was prevalent in 43 (17.9%) and 16 (6.7%) students respectively. Conclusion: It was concluded that a considerable proportion of secondary school students were affected by refractive errors. Prevalence of myopia is very high and needs to be addressed.
Prevalence and risk factors for myopia among school children in Aba, Nigeria
African Vision and Eye Health, 2017
Despite the consequences of uncorrected refractive error in children, there are no national data on prevalence of refractive error among children in Nigeria. 21,22 Although, a few studies exist for some cities across the country, 13,22,23 to the best of our knowledge, no RESC survey has been reported on the prevalence of myopia in school children in Aba, Nigeria. This study intends to provide information on the prevalence of myopia among school children in Aba, which will be necessary for effective and efficient eye health planning and education. Aim: To study the prevalence of myopia among school children in Aba, Nigeria. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in public and private (primary and secondary) schools. A multi-stage random sampling technique was used for selecting participants aged between 8 and 15 years from 12 schools in Aba, Nigeria. Data were analysed for 1197 children who underwent a comprehensive eye examination. The children were divided according to the following criteria: age groups (group 1 [8-11 years] or group 2 [12-15 years]), gender (male or female), level of education (primary or secondary) and type of school (public or private). Myopia was defined as spherical equivalent refraction (SER) ≤-0.50 D in the poorer eye. Results: The prevalence of myopia was estimated to be 2.7%. Of the 96 children with refractive error, 78.1% were uncorrected. In using logistic regression analysis, risk of developing myopia was associated with older age groups (odds ratio [OR]: 1.20; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.16-9.11; p < 0.010) and higher level of education (OR: 1.73; 95% CI, 1.05-2.86; p < 0.030). There was no significant difference in myopia prevalence between male and female children (p = 0.89). Conclusion: Although the prevalence of myopia and overall prevalence of refractive error in school children in Aba were low, the high prevalence of uncorrected refractive error is a significant public health problem. An effective and sustainable children's vision screening programme is needed to prevent visual impairment and blindness.
Ophthalmology Journal
BaCkground: Globally the prevalence of myopia has increased alarmingly and is expected to affect an estimated 2.56 billion people in the world by the end of 2020. It is believed to be the leading cause of visual impairment in Kenya, contributing 59.5% of all causes of visual impairment. Still, agreement on the exact prevalence in Kenya and whether socio-demographic factors have an influence on myopia is unknown. This study was aimed at evaluating the prevalence of myopia and its socio-demographic distribution amongst randomly selected school-going adolescent. This study was conducted in Lurambi Sub-County in Kakamega, Kenya. Material and Methods: The study adopted a school-based cross-sectional descriptive study design. Using a multi-stage sampling technique, 733 participants from a population of 7,400 secondary school students within Lurambi Sub-County were randomly selected. A standard optometric vision-assessment protocol was applied to those who met the inclusion criteria and cycloplegic refraction was conducted to elicit those who had myopia. results: The prevalence of myopia was found to be 7.5% of which 29 (52.7%) were male while 26 (47.3%) were female and there was no association between gender and myopia (p = 0.572). Myopia was found to be more prevalent in urban 49 (87.3%) as compared to rural 7 (12.7%) areas and there was no association between place of residences and myopia (p = 0.381). Similarly, 15-18 years was the dominant age group 39 (70.9%) and there was no association between age and having myopia (p = 0.926). The study also found that there was no association (p = 0.207) between school class of the participants and having myopia, although most myopic cases were in the form four class 15 (27.3%). ConClusion: Myopia was found to be mostly prevalent in the urban setting and upper classes as compared to rural and lower classes. This may link myopia to other risk factors such as near work and outdoor activities, but more research needs to be done in these areas.
A review on the epidemiology of myopia in school children worldwide
BMC Ophthalmology, 2020
Background Due to high prevalence myopia has gained importance in epidemiological studies. Children with early onset are at particular risk of complications associated with myopia, as progression over time might result in high myopia and myopic macular degeneration. Both genetic and environmental factors play a role in the increasing prevalence of myopia. The aim of this study is to review the current literature on epidemiology and risk factors for myopia in school children (aged 6–19 years) around the world. Main body PubMed and Medline were searched for the following keywords: prevalence, incidence, myopia, refractive error, risk factors, children and visual impairment. English language articles published between Jan 2013 and Mar 2019 were included in the study. Studies were critically reviewed for study methodology and robustness of data. Eighty studies were included in this literature review. Myopia prevalence remains higher in Asia (60%) compared with Europe (40%) using cyclopl...
eJournal Kedokteran Indonesia
Globaly, the prevalence of refractive errors, especially myopia in children, has increased significantly. The cause of myopia is multifactorial. Near-work activities and family history are some suggested factors associated with myopia. However, there has not been enough data on these factors and their association with myopia in Indonesia. This study aims to determine the prevalence and factors associated with myopia in primary and middle schoolaged children in Pamijahan Village, Bogor District, West Java, Indonesia. Data were taken in a cross-sectional design based on the visual acuity, anterior and posterior eye examination. A 14-item questionnaire regarding myopia-associated factors including family history, playing outdoors, and near-work activities, was distributed to the subjects. The data were taken from June to September 2018. Analysis was conducted using SPSS version 20. The prevalence of myopia in Pamijahan Village is 4,9% out of 474 subjects. Family history, including pare...
Frequency of Myopia in Rural and Urban School Going Children
Journal of Aziz Fatimah Medical & Dental College, 2022
Objective: The study aimed at finding the frequency of myopia in rural and urban primary and secondary school going children from 6 to 18 years of age. Methodology: A descriptive cross sectional study was conducted from January 2018 to August 2018 in a rural area of Sahiyawala and in urban area of Chiniot. A total of 1000 subjects of both gender and ages ranging between 6 to 18 years were included through a stratified random sampling technique. The sample was considered of 500 subjects in rural and 500 subjects in urban areas. Subjects of 1st class to 10th class were selected. Data was collected using a proforma and retinoscope was done for diagnosis of, Myopia. Data was analyzed by using Chi-square test in SPSS 20 software. Results: The frequency of myopia was higher in urban area 41.6% then rural area 28% (P 0.00). Other findings include, (42.6%) in urban and (56.6%) in rural area were emmetropic, and with other types of refractive errors were (15.8%) in urban and (15.4%) in rura...
Prevalence of Myopia and its Risk Factors in Rural Schoolchildren
International Journal of Recent Surgical and Medical Sciences
Introduction: Myopia, also known as short sightedness, is a type of refractive error in which parallel rays coming from infinity are focused in front of the retina when accommodation is at rest. It is a condition in which close objects are seen clearly, but objects farther away appear blurred. It is an ophthalmic condition affecting 30% population. It is commonly seen in schoolchildren aged 8 to 12 years. This study was undertaken to find the prevalence of myopia among students aged 5 to 16 years of a school in a rural area of Wardha, Maharashtra, India. Materials and methods: Study sample included children between 5 and 16 years of age from a nearby rural school. We recorded degree of myopia by autorefractometer, and students with refractive error of <-0.5 D for at least one eye were considered as myopic. Strict inclusion and exclusion criteria were followed. Results: It was found that the prevalence of myopia is 39.6%. Mild to moderate degree of myopia was more common than seve...