Frequency of high myopia among students of University of Lahore

Abstract

Purpose: The Propose of the study was to investigate the frequency of high myopia in students at the University of Lahore.

Methods: This cross sectional study was conducted from February, 2023 to May, 2023 at University of Lahore after ethical approval. Total sample size consisted of 1004 participants, included students aged 17 to 30 years comprising both undergraduate and master's level while exclusion criteria considered conditions like corneal opacity, contact lens use, hyperopia and a history of eye surgeries. Data collection instruments included a structured questionnaire covering various aspects of participant's lives and a vision assessment involving visual acuity measurements using the Snellen chart and auto refraction with a Topcon auto-refractometer. Data was entered and analyzed in SPSS.

Results: The mean age of students was 20.97 years, minimum age of 18 years and maximum of 28 years. Among the 540 myopic students, 306 were female and 234 were male. Among the 60 high myopic students, 32 were female and 28 were male. Approximately 70% of students had family history of myopia and high myopia. The mean age of high myopic students was 21.12 years, with a mean refractive power of -7.8542D in OD and -8.0625D in OS. Close-up work was the primary activity for approximately 66.7% (40 out of 60) of high myopic students.