Prevalence of Myopia among Children Attending Pediatrics Ophthalmology Clinic at Ohud Hospital, Medina, Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Introduction Around half of the visually impaired population has uncorrected refractive errors (URE), and myopia constitutes a high proportion of them. URE should be screened and treated early to prevent long-term complications. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of myopia among all patients attending a pediatric outpatient clinic at Ohud Hospital in Medina, Saudi Arabia (KSA). Method This study was conducted using a convenience sample of all patients attending the clinic (1500 patients) aged between 3 and 14 years, and they were enrolled in the study during the period from May 2017 until September 2017. Result Of 1215 subjects, only 43 (3.54%) were diagnosed with myopia. Out of the study participants, 56.8% were female and the mean age was 9.7 ± 3.6. Myopia was more prevalent in male participants than female participants (n = 525, 4%, n = 690, 3.1%, p=0.5). Low myopia was the most common form among the screened individuals. The level of myopia was associated with the degree of the strabismus angle. Approximately 22% of patients with myopia had >25° strabismus angle. There was a statistically significant association with both near work indoor and outdoor activities on weekends and the level of myopia. Conclusion The prevalence of myopia among pediatrics patients in Medina is 3.54%. We hope that the results of this study will contribute to a better understanding of this public health issue in Saudi Arabia in order to implant a strict screening program for early detection and interventions to reduce the risk of further progression of visual impairment.

Prevalence of Myopia and Its Associated Risk Factors Among Children Attending a Tertiary Hospital in Saudi Arabia

“…In comparison to national studies, the prevalence of myopia in our study is much higher than that in primary school children in Qassim, Saudi Arabia (5.8%) and among children attending pediatric ophthalmology clinics in Al-Madinah (3.5%) [2,9]. Moreover, it is more prevalent than in a study conducted on kindergarten and primary school entrants in Riyadh (2.5%) [3].…”

“…Many studies have been carried out to investigate various environmental variables that may have a role in the development of myopia. The results on the effect of near-work activities, such as reading or using hand-held technology, have been contradicting [6][7][8][9][10]. On the other hand, numerous studies have revealed that spending time outside has a detrimental and protective effect on myopia [8,10].…”

“…Furthermore, a study performed on school-entrant children at King Abdulaziz Medical City in Riyadh demonstrated an estimated refractive error of 4.5%, in which myopia ranked the highest with a prevalence of 2.5% [8]. Another study conducted in Medina among children attending the pediatrics ophthalmology clinic estimated the prevalence of myopia to be approximately 3.5% [9]. Although a few studies have been conducted in Saudi Arabia to determine the prevalence of refractive errors among school-aged children, local studies that have addressed myopia as an entity on its own including its risk and preventive factors are extremely scarce [6][7][8].…”

The frequency of refractive errors required to be corrected in childhood among Turkish children

“…But Alemam et al found myopia was more prevalent in males. The behavioral differences of children in different regions may lead to these variations [16][17][18].…”

Refractive Errors in Children of 11 to 16 Years of Age Group attending Eye OPD at Hayatabad Medical Complex Peshawar

“…The most frequent optical condition affecting people of all ages is refractive errors. According to WHO 43% of vision problems are attributable to refractive errors 16 and about half of visually impaired folks have uncorrected refractive errors (URE) 17 .…”