Factors affecting pathological myopia and its prevalence among primary school children in Hawassa town, southern Ethiopia, 2023

Abstract

Abstract Background Pathological myopia is a serious and major challenging public health concern that needs our attention due to increased prevalence and it is an important cause of correctable visual impairment and preventable blindness worldwide. The highest prevalence of pathological myopia is seen in younger people, particularly in urbanized East and Southeast Asian countries in the last 50–60 years and it is highly associated with different factors that can easily be modifiable to decrease or control the progression of myopia. Purpose estimate the prevalence and identify associated factors of pathological myopia among primary school children in Hawassa town, southern Ethiopia 2023. Method The study was conducted in Hawassa Ethiopia, the total sample size was 806 children, a school-based cross-sectional study design was used, the sampling technique used to select the study participants was through simple random sampling methods, Data collection tools were Pre-tasted questionnaires, and ophthalmic refraction set both wet and dry retinoscopy, then the data was entered to SPSS version 16 for analysis. Descriptive statistics were calculated for selected variables. Binary and multivariable logistic regression will be used to identify factors associated with pathological myopia. Finally, the result will be presented in a table. Result A total of 806 students were included, and they had an age range of 6–16 years, The prevalence of pathological myopia was 1.9%. Family history of myopia, school being private, shorter time for outdoor activities, using visual display units, shorter near working distance, a longer time for near work, and age range of 11–16 were found to be independently associated with pathological myopia.