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Updated: Sep 25, 2026
Binocular Dynamic Visual Acuity in Eyeglass-Corrected Myopic Patients
Published on: March 29, 2022
Prevalence of myopia among 12- to 13-year-old schoolchildren in northern Mexico
Gerardo M Villarreal1, Josefin Ohlsson, Humberto Cavazos
1Department of Ophthalmology, Universidad Autónoma de Neuvo León, Monterrey, Mexico.
Purpose:
The aim of this article was to report the prevalence of refractive errors, mainly myopia, among 12- to 13-year-old children in a metropolitan setting in Mexico.
Methods:
A total of 1035 schoolchildren were examined in a field study in Monterrey, Mexico. The examination included best-corrected visual acuity and refraction during cycloplegia. A sample of the children was sent to a pediatric eye clinic and underwent cycloplegic refraction with an autorefractor.
Results:
We found a prevalence of myopia (>/=-0.5 D SE) of 44%, whereas bilateral myopia was present in 37% of the children. In the total sample, high myopia (>/=-5D) was found in 1.4%. The prevalence of myopia was significantly higher in girls. Only 20% of children with bilateral myopia used prescription glasses; 8% had prescribed glasses, but did not use them. Hyperopia (>/=+1 D) was present in 6.0% of the total population, and astigmatism (>/=-1.5 D) was present in 9.5%.
Conclusions:
The prevalence of myopia among 12- to 13-year-old children in Mexico is high. The majority of cases are low grade, and a large number of the myopic children do not have, or do not use, prescription glasses.
