Prevalence and associated factors of myopia in high-school students in Beijing

Li Juan Wu; Qi Sheng You; Jia Li Duan; Yan Xia Luo; Li Juan Liu; Xia Li; Qi Gao; Hui Ping Zhu; Yan He; Liang Xu; Jost B Jonas; Wei Wang; Xiu Hua Guo

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0120764

Prevalence and associated factors of myopia in high-school students in Beijing

PLoS One. 2015 Mar 24;10(3):e0120764. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0120764. eCollection 2015.

Authors

Li Juan Wu¹, Qi Sheng You², Jia Li Duan³, Yan Xia Luo¹, Li Juan Liu², Xia Li¹, Qi Gao¹, Hui Ping Zhu¹, Yan He¹, Liang Xu², Jost B Jonas⁴, Wei Wang⁵, Xiu Hua Guo¹

Affiliations

¹ School of Public Health, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China; Beijing Key Laboratory of Epidemiology, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
² Beijing Institute of Ophthalmology, Beijing Tongren Eye Center, Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing Ophthalmology and Visual Science Key Lab, Beijing, China.
³ Beijing Center for Disease Prevention and Control, Beijing, China.
⁴ Beijing Institute of Ophthalmology, Beijing Tongren Eye Center, Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing Ophthalmology and Visual Science Key Lab, Beijing, China; Department of Ophthalmology, Medical Faculty Mannheim of the Ruprecht-Karls-University Heidelberg, Seegartenklinik Heidelberg, Germany.
⁵ School of Public Health, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China; Beijing Key Laboratory of Epidemiology, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China; School of Medical Science, Edith Cowan University, Perth, Australia.

Abstract

Purpose: To evaluate prevalence and associated factors for myopia in high school students in Beijing.

Methods: Grade 10 and 11 high school students were randomly selected from nine randomly selected districts of Beijing. The students underwent non-cylcoplegic auto-refractometry and an interview.

Results: Out of 4798 eligible students, 4677 (93.4%) students (mean age:16.9±0.7years;range:16-18 years) participated. Mean refractive error of right eyes and left eyes was -2.78±2.29 diopters and -2.59±2.50 diopters, respectively. Prevalence of myopia (defined as ≤ -1.00 diopters in the worse eye) was 80.7% (95% Confidence Interval (CI): 79.6-81.8%). Out of 3773 students with myopia, 1525 (40.4%) wore glasses daily. In multiple logistic regression analysis, a higher prevalence of myopia was associated with female sex (odds ratio (OR) = 1.31;95%CI:1.11-1.55), Han ethnicity (OR = 1.64;95%CI:1.28-2.11), attending key schools (OR = 1.48;95%CI:1.24,1.77), higher family income (OR = 1.37;95%CI:1.09-1.71), longer time spent for near work (OR = 1.43;95%CI:1.06-1.93), shorter near work distance (OR = 1.87;95%CI:1.55-2.26), lower frequency of active rest during studying (OR = 1.40;95%CI:1.16-1.70), and parental myopia (OR = 2.28;95%CI:1.80-2.87). The interaction between distance from near work and time spent for near work was statistically (P = 0.03) significant. In multiple logistic regression analysis, higher prevalence of high myopia (≤-6.0 diopters) was associated with studying in key schools (OR = 1.38;95%CI:1.05,1.81), lower frequency of active rest during studying (OR = 1.40;95%CI:1.09,1.79), and a higher number of myopic parents (OR = 2.66;95%CI:2.08,3.40).

Conclusions: A prevalence of about 80% for myopia and a prevalence of about 10% for high myopia in students aged 16 to 18 years and attending classes of grade 10 and 11 in a Chinese metropolitan region is another example of the high prevalence of moderate and high myopia in metropolitan areas of China. With this young myopic generation getting older, myopia as cause for visual impairment and blindness may further increase in importance. Future studies may address whether active rests during studying with looking into the distance are preventive against myopia development or progression.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adolescent
Beijing / epidemiology
Female
Humans
Income
Male
Myopia / diagnosis
Myopia / epidemiology*
Myopia / ethnology
Prevalence
Refraction, Ocular
Schools
Sex Factors

Grants and funding

The study was funded by the Authorized Project from Beijing Municipal Commission of Education, and National 12th Five-Year Major Projects of China (2012BAI37B03); the Beijing Natural Science Foundation (7131002); National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 81400422); the Mason Foundation National Medical Program-2014, ANZ, Australia, Commonwealth of Australia (ACSRF06444); and the European Union Foundation (EU-fp7; Pain-Omics 602730). Professor Wei Wang is supported by the Importation and Development of High-Calibre Talents Project of Beijing Municipal Institutions. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.