Refractive errors among Saudi college students and associated risk factors

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Public Health
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Refractive errors are a significant global health concern, impacting visual acuity and quality of life.
• Prevalence studies are crucial for understanding the burden of refractive errors in specific populations, such as university students.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the prevalence of refractive errors among freshman students at Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University (IAU).
• To investigate the association between near-work and outdoor activities and refractive errors in this student population.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study involving 338 freshman students at IAU.
• Non-cycloplegic autorefraction was used to determine refractive error status, defining myopia, hyperopia, and emmetropia based on spherical equivalent refraction (SER).
• A questionnaire assessed participants' near-work and outdoor activity levels.

Main Results:

• The prevalence of myopia was 47.9%, with low myopia being the most common type (66.7% of myopic students).
• Hyperopia and emmetropia were present in 6.5% and 45.6% of students, respectively.
• Parental myopia was significantly associated with student myopia (P=0.007), but activity types did not significantly predict refractive error types.

Conclusions:

• A high prevalence of myopia exists among freshman university students at IAU.
• While parental history is a risk factor, the study did not find a significant link between activity types and refractive errors.
• Further research is needed to explore clinical characteristics and risk factors for myopia in this age group.