Prevalence of Myopia in Students of Srinagar City of Kashmir, India

Background: Myopia is a common ocular disorder. Prevalence data with regard to myopia is scarce in India and almost nonexistent in Kashmir. Objective: To determine the prevalence of myopia in Srinagar City and to evaluate risk factors associated with the disease. Methods: 38 schools in the Srinagar were selected randomly and students were examined by our optometrist team. Children with refractive error of -0.25 D to -5.9 D were considered myopic, while those with -6 D and above were considered high myopic. Statistical analysis used: x2 Tests were used as appropriate to test whether potential risk factors were significantly associated with myopia. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were calculated for risk factors that were independently associated with myopia in this population.Results: A total of 4,360 students of mean age 12.11 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 11.99 - 12.22: range, 7-18) participated in the study. Myopia was found in 4.74% students. Increasing age was associated with the increased risk of having myopia. Girl students were more likely to have myopia than boys (OR = 1.52). The prevalence of myopia among girls was more than that of boys. Students from low socioeconomic conditions were having higher prevalence of myopia than their counterparts from higher socioeconomic counterparts. Conclusion: Reduced vision because of myopia is an important health problem in students in Srinagar City. Most of these students do not have the necessary correction spectacles. Effective strategies are needed to eliminate the cause of a significant visualproblem.