Refractive status of mountain aborigine schoolchildren in southern Taiwan

Myopia is an epidemic health problem in Taiwan's schoolchildren. The prevalence of myopia has been increasing yearly, and the average age at which myopia develops has also become younger. Due to insufficient eye care in remote areas, the refractive status of aboriginal schoolchildren has not been well established. In 2005 and 2006, under the sponsorship of the Bureau of Health Promotion, we surveyed the ocular refraction of aboriginal schoolchildren in southern Taiwan mountain townships. From five primary schools in two townships, 371 children aged from 7 to 13 years of age were enrolled in our study. Refractive status under cycloplegia and subjective visual acuity were obtained. The crude prevalence of myopia (< -0.25 diopter [D]) was 25.6%. Although the prevalence increased with age, the annual change in mean refractive status was slower in the schoolchildren of mountain aborigines. The spherical equivalents of 93% of children were within +/- 1 D. The highest myopia was only -2.50 D. Seven children (1.82%) were refractive amblyopic, for which high hyperopia, astigmatism or anisometropia were the main causes. As aboriginal children were noted to be more myopic in this study than in the past, better eye care should be implemented in these remote areas.