High prevalence of myopia and high myopia in 5060 Chinese university students in Shanghai.
OBJECTIVE
Myopia is an important cause of correctable visual impairment worldwide. Genetic and environmental factors contribute to its development. The population of Chinese university students consists of approximately 30 million young people characterized by academic excellence and similar ages. To date, little is known about their refractive status. Our study is designed to investigate the prevalence of myopia in this specific population.


METHODS
This is a cross-sectional study of myopia among university students in Shanghai, China; 5083 students from Donghua University were enrolled. All participants first responded to a detailed questionnaire, including questions on ethnicity, birth date, and family history, and then undertook a standardized ophthalmologic examination, including visual acuity, a slit-lamp examination, and non-cycloplegic autorefraction.


RESULTS
The mean spherical equivalent refraction (SER) of the university students was -4.1 diopters (D). Of the subjects 95.5% were myopic (SER < -0.50 D), 19.5% were highly myopic (SER < -6.0 D), and only 3.3% were emmetropic (-0.5 D ≤ SER ≤ 0.5 D). The postgraduates were more myopic than the undergraduates (96.9% and 94.9%, respectively). Being female (-4.1 ± 2.4 D in female versus -3.8 ± 2.4 D in male subjects), of Han ethnicity (-4.1 ± 2.4 D in Han versus -3.4 ± 2.2 D in minorities), and of older age were associated with a higher probability of myopia only in the undergraduate population.


CONCLUSIONS
The prevalence of myopia and high myopia in this university student population was high. The refractive status of this population deserves further attention.
Department of Ophthalmology, Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
Jing
J
Sun
Jibo
J
Zhou
Peiquan
P
Zhao
Jingcai
J
Lian
Huang
H
Zhu
Yixiong
Y
Zhou
Yue
Y
Sun
Yefei
Y
Wang
Liquan
L
Zhao
Yan
Y
Wei
Lina
L
Wang
Biyun
B
Cun
Shengfang
S
Ge
Xianqun
X
Fan
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009216:Myopia / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D015995:Prevalence; D012029:Refraction, Ocular; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D017678:Sex Distribution; D013334:Students / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014505:Urban Population; D055815:Young Adult