Introduction: There are scientific evidences that the etiology of juvenile-onset myopia involves both genetic and environmental factors. Excessive near work represents the most frequently cited environmental factor associated with the development of this disease. Objectives: The aim of our study was to assess some epidemiological aspects of myopia in today`s medical students from “Grigore T. Popa” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, including the prevalence of this disorder, and the differences between generations. Materials and Methods: A questionnaire was shared via the internet on the social groups of the University`s Medical Students. Five hundred and seventy-six (576) students filled the survey online: from the 1st year - 105 students; 2nd year - 86; 3rd year - 121; 4th year - 80; 5th year – 86, and from the 6th year - 98 students. Results: 73.8% of the students included in the study suffer from myopia. At a first glance, the analysis of myopic students’ distribution by the university year showed no significant difference: 1st year – 73.3%; 2nd year – 74.4%; 3rd year – 71.9%; 4th year - 77.5%; 5th year - 68.6%, and 6th year – 77.6% (p<0.005). The percentage of the 6th year students that entered the university with myopia was 43.8%. Furthermore, we observed that the number of students that already had myopia before entering the university has progressively increased. To emphasize how important the difference is, this year 64% of the 1st year students already were diagnosed with myopia. Conclusions: These results open a debate regarding the causes of the increasing number of students suffering from myopia, including the difficult academic requirements, the behavioral changes, the genetic factors or the poor quality of nutrition.
Introduction: There are scientific evidences that the etiology of juvenile-onset myopia involves both genetic and environmental factors. Excessive near work represents the most frequently cited environmental factor associated with the development of this disease. Objectives: The aim of our study was to assess some epidemiological aspects of myopia in today`s medical students from “Grigore T. Popa” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, including the prevalence of this disorder, and the differences between generations. Materials and Methods: A questionnaire was shared via the internet on the social groups of the University`s Medical Students. Five hundred and seventy-six (576) students filled the survey online: from the 1st year - 105 students; 2nd year - 86; 3rd year - 121; 4th year - 80; 5th year – 86, and from the 6th year - 98 students. Results: 73.8% of the students included in the study suffer from myopia. At a first glance, the analysis of myopic students’ distribution by the university year showed no significant difference: 1st year – 73.3%; 2nd year – 74.4%; 3rd year – 71.9%; 4th year - 77.5%; 5th year - 68.6%, and 6th year – 77.6% (p<0.005). The percentage of the 6th year students that entered the university with myopia was 43.8%. Furthermore, we observed that the number of students that already had myopia before entering the university has progressively increased. To emphasize how important the difference is, this year 64% of the 1st year students already were diagnosed with myopia. Conclusions: These results open a debate regarding the causes of the increasing number of students suffering from myopia, including the difficult academic requirements, the behavioral changes, the genetic factors or the poor quality of nutrition.
Authors: Ismail I Abuallut; Aeshah A Alhulaibi; Atheer A Alyamani; Norah M Almalki; Alwaleed A Alrajhi; Ali H Alharbi; Mohamed S Mahfouz Journal: Middle East Afr J Ophthalmol Date: 2021-01-19