Prevalence of Myopia and its Related Risk Factors among Medical Students in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Background: Myopia or near–sightedness is the most frequent cause of vision deterioration with growing burden worldwide. Although myopia is hereditary, nearsightedness is tremendously increasing due to endlessly focusing on close objects. Therefore, the objective of the present study was to assess the burden of nearsightedness and its related risk factors among medical students in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Methodology: This study involved 504 medical students (346 were males and 158 were females) selected from two medical colleges from (Hail University and Prince Sattam University). Data were collected using a purposeful questionnaire. Results: Of the 504 participants, 454 (90%) have responded of whom 243 (53.5%) were found with nearsightedness phenomenon. Of the 243 students with myopia, 159/243(65.4%) males and 84/243(34.6%) were females. Out of the 248 respondents to question of vision’s aid usage, 185/248(74.6%) were using glasses, 25/248 (10%) were using contact lenses, and the remaining 38/248(15.4%) were none aids users. Conclusion: Myopia is prevalent among medical students which might be due to the visual stress that associated with doing detailed work, such as reading, using a computer or a mobile phone.