Prevalence of myopia in a sample of Greek students

Abstract

Purpose: An epidemiological study, concerning the prevalence of myopia among the student population (15-18 years old) of Northern Greece, was carried out. Methods: Specific questionnaires were used in order to collect data on the refractive condition of students. Results: Myopia prevalence was 36.8% and was found to be more common in females (46.0%) than in males (29.7%). The prevalence increased in students with myopic parents and myopic siblings. It was also found that myopia correlates strongly with nearwork and school performance. Conclusion: The study results suggest that myopia is a rather common refractive error in Greek students. Findings also indicate that myopia is probably hereditary and correlates with educational level, intelligence and excessive nearwork.