| Past Issue | Volume 8, Number 5, October 2006 | | Development of Myopia in Medical School |
Hamid Fesharaki, Bahareh Kamali, Mojtaba Karbasi, Mohamad Fasihi
Eye Department, Farabi Hospital, Isfahan, Iran
Aim: To determine the effect of extensive educational effort involving near work on the progression and emergence of new cases of myopia in medical students.
Patients and Methods: This longitudinal study was performed on 262 eyes of 131 randomly selected first-year medical students attending Isfahan University, Isfahan, Iran. Eye examinations, including objective and subjective refraction, were performed at the time of study enrolment and again after 5.5 years. Eyes with =0.25 D spherical equivalent myopic error were considered to be myopic. Data from the initial and follow-up examinations were compared and analysed using Student’s t test and chi-squared test.
Results: The prevalence of myopia increased from 46.5% to 64.0% during the study period. The mean myopic progression was 0.20 D per year. Myopic development occurred in 52.5% of the participants. Conclusion: Medical students are at risk for myopic development in medical school. This should be taken into account for prognostic purposes and in relation to refractive surgery.
Key words: Disease progression, Iran, Longitudinal studies, Medical students, Myopia
Asian J Ophthalmol 2006;8:199-202.
| | | |
|
