Population prevalence of myopia, glasses wear and free glasses acceptance among minority versus Han schoolchildren in China.

Abstract

AimTo measure myopia, glasses wear and free glasses acceptance among minority and Han children in China.MethodsVisual acuity testing and questionnaires assessing ethnicity, study time, and parental and teacher factors were administered to a population-based sample of 9-12 year old minority and Han children in Yunnan and Guangdong, and their teachers and parents. Refraction was performed on children with uncorrected visual acuity (VA) Main outcome measuresBaseline myopia (uncorrected visual acuity = 1 eye and spherical equivalent refractive power ResultsAmong 10,037 children (mean age 10.6 years, 52.3% boys), 800 (8.0%) were myopic, 4.04% among Yunnan Minority children (OR 0.47, 95%CI 0.33, 0.67, PConclusionMyopia is more common among Han children and in wealthier Guangdong. Baseline differences in glasses wear could be explained by student, teacher and parental factors. Yunnan Minority children were more likely to accept free glasses.