Prevalence of Refractive Errors and its Associated Risk Factors among Medical Students of Jazan University, Saudi Arabia: A Cross-sectional Study

PURPOSE: Refractive errors (REs) are common and continue to increase globally, particularly myopia. Uncorrected REs are the second leading cause of preventable blindness and the most common cause of visual impairment. The main objective of this study is to assess the prevalence of REs and to investigate its associated risk factors among medical students of the Jazan region, Saudi Arabia. METHODS: An observational analytical cross-sectional study was conducted among a random sample of 447 medical students at Jazan University. Eye examination was conducted using an autorefractor test (Huvitz HRK-8000A Autorefractor Keratometer) to measure spherical refraction (emmetropia, myopia, and hyperopia) and cylindrical refraction (astigmatism). Factors associated with myopia and hyperopia were evaluated using logistic regression models. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of REs was 48.8% (95% confidence interval [CI] [44.2, 53.4]). The prevalence of REs among female medical students was 55.1% (95% CI [48.6, 61.5]), which was significantly higher than that among males (42.3%, 95% CI [36.0, 48.9]), with a P = 0.007. Of the 447 medical students examined, approximately one-third (33.8%) had myopia, 10.5% had astigmatism, and only 10.5% had hyperopia. The results of logistic regression indicated that females were 52% more myopic than males (odds ratios [OR] = 1.52, 95% CI [1.04, 2.22]), while participants with both parents having a history of REs were twofold more myopic than students with no family history of REs (OR = 2.01, 95% CI [1.2, 3.4]). A history of blurred vision also increases the risk of myopia by seven times (OR = 7.2, 95% CI [6.4, 11.3]). CONCLUSION: RE among medical students is a problem. Thus, it needs to be assessed carefully before students choose a specialty that may need very good near and far vision for postgraduate study.