Abstract
Purpose :
To investigate the visual acuity and correction conditions of students in Shanghai, explore the prevalence and severity of visual impairment, and the associated factors and the effectiveness of existing corrective measures.
Methods :
A cross-sectional cluster sampling survey was conducted, involving 47,034 students, including 24,465 males (52.0% of the total), with an average age of 11.72 ± 3.89 years. The students underwent examinations for uncorrected visual acuity and corrected visual acuity, and general information was collected. The distribution and severity of visual impairment in different age groups were analyzed. Furthermore, single-factor analysis and multifactor logistic regression analysis were used to explore the factors associated with visual impairment.
Results :
The survey revealed a visual impairment rate of 76.2% among the students, with higher prevalence in females (78.8%), Han ethnic students (76.2%), and urban students (76.7%) (P< 0.05). Visual impairment displayed an age-dependent pattern, reaching a nadir at age 7 (53.8%) and zenith at age 17 (89.6%). Severe visual impairment accounted for the majority at 56.6%, and the severity of visual impairment was positively correlated with age (rs=0.477, P < 0.05). The multifactor logistic regression analysis showed that age [OR=1.184 (1.174, 1.194)], BMI [OR=1.011 (1.004, 1.019)], and female gender [OR=1.378 (1.306, 1.454)] were positively associated with visual impairment, whereas minority ethnicity [OR=0.789 (0.626, 0.987)] and suburban residence [OR=0.881 (0.835, 0.930)] were negatively associated with visual impairment (P< 0.05). Among those with visual impairment, the rate of wearing glasses was 52.8%, and the rate of successfully correcting visual acuity with glasses was only 34.3%. The rate of wearing glasses was higher in females (55.1%) than in males (50.5%), higher in Han ethnic students (52.8%) than in minority students (46.7%), and higher in urban students (54.1%) than in suburban students (51.8%) (P< 0.05).
Conclusions :
The rate of spectacle wear among visually impaired students is low, even among those who wear glasses, some students' corrected visual acuity remains suboptimal. Efforts should be made to enhance awareness of eye health and vision correction among parents and schools, while also improving the accessibility of eye health services.
This abstract was presented at the 2024 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Seattle, WA, May 5-9, 2024.