Moderate hyperopia prevalence and associated factors among elementary school students

Abstract

Hyperopia is the most common refractive condition in childhood. There are few studies on moderate hyperopia and associated factors. This study aims to investigate the prevalence of moderate hyperopia and associated factors among school children. A cross-sectional study comprising 1,032 students attending 1st to 8th grades at two public schools was conducted in a Southern Brazilian urban area in 2012. Cycloplegia was used to examine both eyes and refractive error was measured through auto-refraction. A socioeconomic and cultural questionnaire was administered. Multivariable analysis was performed through Poisson regression. Moderate hyperopia prevalence was 13.4% (95% CI, 11.2-15.4) and 85% of these did not wear glasses. Age was inversely associated with moderate hyperopia, while female gender RP = 1.39 (95%CI, 1.02 - 1.90) and white skin RP = 1.66 (95%CI, 1.04 - 2.66) were risk factors for this outcome. This study makes progress in estimating mild and moderate hyperopia prevalence both by age range and specific age. It emphasizes how the lack of this condition being corrected in southern Brazil is a serious problem. It highlights the importance of detailing and characterizing the amount of time spent on close-range, long-range and outdoor activities.