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Prevalence of myopia in 3–14-year-old Chinese children: a school-based cross-sectional study in Chengdu

Jianglan Wang, Jin-Nan Liu, Weizhong Ma, Qi Zhang, Rong Li, Xiao He, Longqian Liu

BMC Ophthalmology, 2021

19,455 participants · 40 citations

Abstract

Background The prevalence of myopia among children in Chengdu is unknown. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of myopia in 3- to 14-year-old Chinese children in Chengdu. Methods This study was a school-based cross-sectional study in children aged 3–14 years. Visual acuity (VA), spherical equivalent error (SER) with noncycloplegic autorefraction, axial length (AL) and corneal radius (CR) were measured. Results A total of 19,455 children were recruited for this study. The prevalence of myopia was 38.1 %; the prevalence of low myopia was 26.6 %, that of moderate myopia was 9.8 %, and that of high myopia was 1.7 %. The prevalence of myopia and SER increased with age from 6 years old. The prevalence of myopia was higher, and the SER indicated more severe myopia in the girls than in the boys (40.1 % vs. 36.2 %, χ 2 = 30.67, d f = 1, P < 0.001; -0.93 D ± 1.75 D vs. -0.84 D ± 1.74 D, t = 3.613, d f =19,453, P < 0.001). The girls had a higher prevalence of myopia and myopic SER than did the boys aged 9 years and older ( P < 0.05). Among the myopic children, the rates of uncorrected, undercorrected and fully corrected myopia were 54.8 %, 31.1 and 14.1 %, respectively. AL and AL/CR increased with age from 6 years old, but CR remained stable after 4 years old. The AL was longer, and the CR was flatter in the boys than in the girls aged 3 to 14 years old ( P < 0.05). Conclusions The prevalence of myopia, AL and AL/CR increased, and the SER became more myopic with age…

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Evidence Hub reads this as a cross-sectional, done in people. Its evidence level is 4 of 5 (Low · observational). Observational designs can show an association but not prove cause. Reported size: 19,455 participants or records.

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