The prevalence of refractive errors in 5–15 year-old population of two underserved rural areas of Iran

PURPOSE: To determine the prevalence of hyperopia and myopia and their associations with age and gender in 5- to 15-year-old children in underserved rural areas in Iran. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, sampling was done using a multistage cluster sampling method from two underprivileged rural regions in Iran, and 3851 persons over 1 year old of age were invited to the study. After inviting the selected participants, examinations were conducted at a designated site in the selected villages. All participants underwent measurements of uncorrected and corrected visual acuity, manifest refraction, and a slit-lamp examination. Cycloplegic refraction was done by instilling cyclopentolate 1% eye drops in under 15-year-old participants. RESULTS: Of the 3851 selected persons, 3314 subjects participated (86.5%), and of these, 602 were in the 5–15 year age group. The prevalence of myopia and hyperopia in the studied children was 2.60% [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.10–4.10] and 4.00% (95% CI: 1.84–6.15), respectively. The prevalence of myopia in male and female children was 2.65% and 2.55%, respectively (P = 0.951). The prevalence of hyperopia in male and female children was 2.83% and 5.25%, respectively (P = 0.130). The prevalence of myopia in the villages of southwest and north was 2.42% and 3.09%, respectively (P = 0.618), and the prevalence of hyperopia was 4.71% and 2.10%, respectively (P = 0.0056). CONCLUSION: The present report is a brief description of the status of refractive errors in children residing in underprivileged villages of two rural districts in Iran. As presented, the prevalence of myopia is not high, although the prevalence of hyperopia is in the mid-range compared to previous studies.