Analysis of the Prevalence of Myopia in Medical Students

Myopia continues to be a serious public health problem due to the steady increase in the prevalence of the disease and the presence of serious complications leading to the loss of vision. The aim of the study was to investigate the prevalence of myopia among medical students. Materials and methods. A self-reported questionnaire was used to collect the myopia-related data in the 1st-6th year students of various faculties of Kazan State Medical University. The prevalence of myopia was assessed using the medical record of a patient receiving medical care on an outpatient basis. 352 medical records were processed, 323 of them were included in the study. Results. Myopia was detected in 69% of students, 2% had other eye diseases. 42% of students had mild myopia, 21% – moderate myopia, 6% – high myopia, 29% of respondents did not suffer from any eye diseases. According to our data, the prevalence of myopia among female students was 69%, among males – 66%. It was estimated that among students who use vision correction devices, 17% of students started wearing glasses/contact lenses at the age of 10, 43% – at the age of 10 to 15 years, 34% – at the age of 15 to 20 years, 6% of students started using vision correction devices being older than 20 years. Conclusion. The high prevalence of myopia among students of Kazan State Medical University (69%) was revealed. In most cases, myopia developed before entering the university; this demonstrates the need in prophylaxis of nearsightedness not only in students, but also in schoolchildren.