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Pattern of myopia progression in Chinese medical students: a two-year follow-up study

  • Medical Ophthalmology
  • Published:
Graefe's Archive for Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Objective

To estimate myopia progression during a 2-year period in a cohort of medical students in mainland China.

Methods

A 2-year longitudinal study was performed among 2,053 Chinese medical students (mean age 18.27 years, 1,057 females and 996 males) with their refraction measured at the start and the end of this study by autorefraction in cycloplegia. Information about the students’ age, gender, home origin (urban or rural), and eye history was obtained through a questionnaire.

Results

The overall prevalence of myopia increased significantly from 78.5 % to 84.1 % (P < 0.001, right eye) and the mean refractive error increased significantly from −2.52 ± 2.13 D to −2.84 ± 2.16 D (P < 0.001, right eye) over the 2 years. The rural students had a significantly greater increase in prevalence of myopia and the refractive error towards myopia than the urban ones (P < 0.01 and 0.001 respectively). Females had a significantly faster myopic shift than males (P < 0.001). Participants with myopia initially showed the fastest myopic shift among the initial refractive groups. The relationship between the initial refractive error and the myopic shift remained significant after adjusting for sex and home origin (P < 0.05).

Conclusions

Myopia progressed as increase in prevalence of myopia and change in refraction towards myopia in this study population. Participants who were more myopic at baseline were more likely to have myopia progression. Female and rural participants had a faster myopic shift compared to male and urban ones, respectively.

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Acknowledgments

We thank the students for their participation and the ophthalmologists and the officers of Teaching Administration at Weifang Medical University for their contribution to this study.

This study was supported by grants from Shandong Provincial Education Department (S07WZ73) and Weifang Medical University, PR China.

Conflict of interest

None of the authors have any proprietary interests or conflicts of interest related to this submission.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Medical Physics Department, Weifang Medical University, 7166 Baotong West Road, Weifang, Shandong, People’s Republic of China, 261053

    Lei Lv & Zhenghou Zhang

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  1. Lei Lv
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  2. Zhenghou Zhang
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Correspondence to Zhenghou Zhang.

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This submission has not been published anywhere previously, and it is not simultaneously being considered for any other publication.

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Lv, L., Zhang, Z. Pattern of myopia progression in Chinese medical students: a two-year follow-up study. Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol 251, 163–168 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00417-012-2074-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00417-012-2074-9

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