Abstract
BackgroundWe aim to assess the prevalence of myopia in Chinese school children with low educational pressure and explore which factors could explain the differences in prevalence between generations.MethodsA school-based epidemiologic study including 2432 grade 1 and 2346 grade 7 students was conducted from 2016 in rural areas of China. Each participant’s refractive status was measured before and after cycloplegia using an autorefractor and axial length (AL) was measured using an IOL Master. The questionnaires were completed by the parents or legal guardians of the children to collect detailed information regarding risk factors. Myopia was defined as spherical equivalent less than − 0.50D.ResultsGrade 7 students had a higher prevalence of myopia (29.4% vs. 2.4%; P < 0.001) and high myopia (0.4% vs. 0.1%; P < 0.001) compared with grade 1 students. Grade 7 students also had longer ALs (23.50 mm vs. 23.37 mm; p = 0.004) after adjusting for the effect of gender, height and other myopia-related risk factors. Adjustment for time spent on reading and writing after school per day led to a reduction in the excess prevalence of myopia in grade 7 students by 15.1%. In addition, adjustment for time outdoors reduced the excess prevalence of myopia in grade 7 students by 33.4%.ConclusionsWe reported a relatively lower prevalence of myopia in school students in rural China, suggesting that Chinese may not have a genetic predisposition to myopia and environmental factors may play a major role in the development of school myopia in Chinese children.
Highlights
We aim to assess the prevalence of myopia in Chinese school children with low educational pressure and explore which factors could explain the differences in prevalence between generations
Several studies have revealed significant ethnic variations in the prevalence of myopia and it is always reported that myopia is more prevalent in Chinese compared with other ethnic groups [4,5,6,7]
We found that approximately one-third of the excess prevalence of myopia in grade 7 students was explained by the reduction in time outdoors
Summary
We aim to assess the prevalence of myopia in Chinese school children with low educational pressure and explore which factors could explain the differences in prevalence between generations. Several studies have revealed significant ethnic variations in the prevalence of myopia and it is always reported that myopia is more prevalent in Chinese compared with other ethnic groups [4,5,6,7]. Genetic studies including linkage analyses, Comparison of the prevalence of myopia between those who have just started schooling and those who have completed several years of education living in the same region may help to elucidate how environmental exposures could explain the differences in myopia prevalence between generations. We reported the prevalence of myopia in two samples of Chinese school children (grade 1 students and grade 7 students)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
