Study of refractive errors in medical students

Abstract

Introduction: Refractive errors are apparently more prevalent among the high educational group and have become a huge economic and social burden.1 Materials and Methods: The study was conducted at Era’s Lucknow Medical College and Hospital and included 420 medical students of consecutive 4ys (2013-2016). Refractive error was assessed under cycloplegia using Snellen’s visual acquity drum and streak retinoscope. The students were categorized according to their refractive error and the prevalence was calculated. Results: Of 420 students 54% had refractive error. Of these 77.7% had myopia, 8.4% had hypermetropia and 1.7% had astigmatism. Myopes were further divided into mild moderate & severe. It was found that 62.8% had mild, 35.4% had moderate and 13.7% had severe myopia. Conclusion: The commonest refractive error among medical students is myopia of varying grades. Keywords: Medical students, Myopia, Refractive error.