Prevalence of Refractive Error in School Children in Suining City of Sichuan Province, China: A School-Based Cross-Sectional Study

Objective: To investigate the prevalence of refractive errors among school children in Suining City, Sichuan Province, and to provide a scientific basis for prevention and control of myopia.

Methods: This was a school-based cross-sectional study. Children aged 6-15 years were selected from kindergartens, primary schools, and middle schools in the urban setting of Suining City. The children underwent ocular examination including measurement of uncorrected visual acuity (UCVA), visual acuity when wearing glasses, and noncycloplegic autorefractometry.

Results: Of the 1200 eligible students, 1138 children (94.8%), 553 of them girls (47.4%), participated. The mean age was 10.64 ± 2.89 years. The prevalence of myopia, hyperopia, astigmatism, and emmetropia was 59.1% (95% confidence interval (CI): 57.6, 60.5), 5.0% (95% CI: 4.7, 6.1), 38.4% (95% CI: 55.5, 58.5), and 25% (95% CI: 23.7, 26.2), respectively. In univariate analysis, the prevalence of myopia was correlated with age, female gender, and learning stage. The prevalence of hyperopia and astigmatism was correlated with age and learning stage. The prevalence of mild myopia, moderate myopia, and high myopia in the 1138 students was 17.7%, 41.4%, and 3.3%, respectively. The prevalence of mild, moderate, and high myopia all increased with age and learning stage. The prevalence of myopia differed by gender. The mean spherical equivalents of the right and left eyes were -1.40 ± 1.99 diopters (D) and -1.29 ± 1.93 D, respectively, and the median values were -0.75 D and -0.6 D, respectively. The mean spherical equivalent increased with age, learning stage, and female gender.

Conclusions: The most common type of refractive error was myopia which was associated with higher age, female gender, and higher learning stage. This study provides new data and recommendations for myopia-control in school-aged children in Sichuan province.