Correctable and non-correctable visual impairment among young males: a 12-year prevalence study of the Military Service in Poland.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the prevalence of correctable and non-correctable visual impairment in a representative sample of young males commissioned for Military Service in Poland.


METHODS
Data concerning vision status was retrospectively reviewed in 969 subjects of European Caucasian origin, most of whom live and have lived in Poland. They were selected from the original database comprising 105017 subjects examined in the period 1993-2004. Based on the age of subjects they were divided into two groups; group I aged 18-24 and group II aged 25-34 years. Visual impairment was defined as distance visual acuity of <20/40 in one or both eyes. Non-correctable impairment was defined as that which was not eliminated by refractive correction.


RESULTS
A total of 1938 eyes of 969 white males were examined. There was statistically significant association between rates of visual impairment and increasing age (p < 0.001). Visual impairment was found in 128 (13.2%) subjects in at least one eye. Non-correctable visual impairment was found in 12 (1.2%) subjects. Amblyopia was the main cause, accounting for eight cases (66.67%). Correctable visual impairment was found in the remaining 116 (12.0%) patients. Among them myopia was the most common refractive error and accounted for 75.8%. Differences between age-specific rates of refractive errors were statistically significant (p = 0.003).


CONCLUSIONS
Appropriate refractive correction improves visual acuity in most subjects presenting with visual impairment. There was a relatively low prevalence of non-correctable visual impairment in a population of young adults in Poland, and this was mainly due to amblyopia.
Nowak
Michal S
MS
Department of Ophthalmology, Medical University of Lodz, 113 Zeromskiego Street, Lodz 90-549, Poland. michaelnovak@interia.pl
Gos
Roman
R
Jurowski
Piotr
P
Smigielski
Janusz
J
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008889:Military Personnel; D011044:Poland / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D012029:Refraction, Ocular; D012030:Refractive Errors / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D014786:Vision Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D014792:Visual Acuity; D019987:Persons with Visual Disabilities / Q000534:rehabilitation; D055815:Young Adult