Refractive errors among young adults and university students in Norway.
OBJECTIVE
This study was initiated to compare the refractive state in a population sample to that among university students in Norway and to that among the general population in other Nordic countries.


METHODS
A population sample of 112 individuals and 224 engineering students were randomly selected and examined using automated and clinical refraction in cycloplegia.


RESULTS
Statistically significant differences were found in prevalences of myopia (population sample: 33%, students: 47%, p: 0.016) and prevalences of hyperopia (population sample: 47%, students: 30%, p: 0.001) between the two groups. The mean refractive error among the population sample was -0.1+/-2.0 D compared to -0.6+/-2.2 D among the students (p=0.0013).


CONCLUSIONS
The population sample had a significantly lower prevalence of myopia and a higher prevalence of hyperopia than the student population. The state of refraction in the population sample was found to be in agreement with results reported from other Nordic countries.
Kinge
B
B
Department of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway. bkinge@online.no
Midelfart
A
A
Jacobsen
G
G
D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D006956:Hyperopia / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008297:Male; D009216:Myopia / Q000453:epidemiology*; D009664:Norway / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D013334:Students; D014495:Universities