PURPOSE: The aim of the paper was to study the role of gender in the occurrence of refractive errors in schoolchildren ranging from 6-18 years of age. MATERIAL AND METHODS: 5865 children from elementary schools, junior high schools and high schools were examined (2845 boys, aged 6-18 years, mean age 11.4, SD = 3.0 and 3020 girls, aged 6-18 years, mean age 11.9, SD = 3.3). The examined students were Caucasian and resided in and around Szczecin, Poland. The examination included retinoscopy under cycloplegia. The refractive error readings were reported as spherical equivalent (SE). Myopia was defined as SE of at least -0.5 D, hyperopia as SE of at least +1.0 D. Astigmatism was diagnosed when the difference in the refraction of axes in one eye was > 0.5 DC. Data analysis was performed using chi2 test. P values of less than 0.05 were considered statistically significant. RESULTS: It was found that myopia occurs more frequently in girls (7.4%) than in boys (5.1%) - p < 0.001. Hyperopia occurs more frequently in boys (19.6%) than in girls (18.2%) - p < 0.001. A slightly higher prevalence of astigmatism in girls (1.9%) than in boys (1.5%) was also observed (p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Gender influences the occurrence of myopia and hyperopia in schoolchildren ranging from 6-18 years of age.
PURPOSE: The aim of the paper was to study the role of gender in the occurrence of refractive errors in schoolchildren ranging from 6-18 years of age. MATERIAL AND METHODS: 5865 children from elementary schools, junior high schools and high schools were examined (2845 boys, aged 6-18 years, mean age 11.4, SD = 3.0 and 3020 girls, aged 6-18 years, mean age 11.9, SD = 3.3). The examined students were Caucasian and resided in and around Szczecin, Poland. The examination included retinoscopy under cycloplegia. The refractive error readings were reported as spherical equivalent (SE). Myopia was defined as SE of at least -0.5 D, hyperopia as SE of at least +1.0 D. Astigmatism was diagnosed when the difference in the refraction of axes in one eye was > 0.5 DC. Data analysis was performed using chi2 test. P values of less than 0.05 were considered statistically significant. RESULTS: It was found that myopia occurs more frequently in girls (7.4%) than in boys (5.1%) - p < 0.001. Hyperopia occurs more frequently in boys (19.6%) than in girls (18.2%) - p < 0.001. A slightly higher prevalence of astigmatism in girls (1.9%) than in boys (1.5%) was also observed (p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Gender influences the occurrence of myopia and hyperopia in schoolchildren ranging from 6-18 years of age.