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Updated: Oct 28, 2026

Binocular Dynamic Visual Acuity in Eyeglass-Corrected Myopic Patients
Published on: March 29, 2022
Adiposity and the prevalence, incidence and distribution of refractive errors in urban Vietnamese children
Nhan Thi Ho1,2,3, Khoi Pham Minh Tran3,2
1Research Management Department, Vinmec International Hospital, Hanoi, Viet Nam.
Objective:
To examine associations between body mass index-for-age z-score (BAZ) and refractive error in schoolchildren in three Vietnamese cities.
Methods:
We analyzed school health examinations from Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and Hai Phong, Vietnam, from 2022 to 2024. We included 49,415 examinations from 31,522 children aged 6 to 18 years, plus a Hanoi autorefractor sub-cohort for subtypes. Modified Poisson regression with generalized estimating equations estimated prevalence ratios (PR) by sex, adjusted for age, city, and year, with formal sex interaction tests. A supplementary analysis of consecutive visits assessed incident refractive error.
Results:
Any refractive error followed a U-shaped curve across BAZ (nonlinearity p = 0.021 and 0.009). The PR per 1-SD higher BAZ was 1.01 in both sexes (95% CI 1.00, 1.02). Obesity was associated with higher prevalence in girls (PR 1.05, 95% CI 1.01, 1.10). Astigmatism was associated with BAZ in both sexes (PR 1.04, 95% CI 1.02, 1.05), and anisometropia in boys (PR 1.10, 95% CI 1.05, 1.14) but not girls. Myopia was not associated, and prior-visit BAZ did not predict incident refractive error.
Conclusions:
Adiposity showed small, nonlinear associations with refractive error, concentrated in astigmatism rather than myopia.
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