Prevalence of myopia in an adult population of two different ethnic groups in the Ecuadorian Amazon.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the prevalence of myopia in the adult populations of two different ethnic communities in the Ecuadorian Amazon.


METHODS
Refraction with retinoscopy after cycloplegia was performed for 507 Naporuna (an ethnic group indigenous to the jungles of the Ecuadorian Amazon) and for 776 settlers (white-mestizos from the Andes, now living in the Amazon and working for the petroleum industry). Ages ranged from 18 to 45 years. All subjects had little or no formal education.


RESULTS
The prevalence of myopia was 4.7% among the Naporuna and 5.5% among the settlers; the prevalence of hyperopia was higher, at 17.8% and 36.0%, respectively.


CONCLUSIONS
The prevalence of myopia in the two communities studied agrees with the results of other studies showing a low prevalence of myopia among groups with low levels of formal education or groups living a nonurban lifestyle.
Jiménez
José Ramón
JR
Departamento de Optica, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Granada, Granada, Spain. jrjimene@ugr.es
Bermúdez
Javier
J
Rubiño
Manuel
M
Gómez
Luis
L
Anera
Rosario González
RG
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D004484:Ecuador / Q000453:epidemiology; D005006:Ethnicity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006956:Hyperopia / Q000208:ethnology; D007199:Indians, South American / Q000208:ethnology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009216:Myopia / Q000208:ethnology*; D015995:Prevalence; D012029:Refraction, Ocular