Prevalence and risk factors for myopia in a rural Korean population

Purpose. To assess the prevalence and risk factors of myopia in 19-year-old males in Jeju, a rural area of Korea. Methods. A total of 2805 subjects were included. Refractive examination was performed with cycloplegia to test for myopia (<-0.5 diopters [D]) and high myopia (<-6.0 D). Possible associated factors were evaluated including height, weight, educational level, and color vision deficiency. Results. The prevalence of myopia and high myopia were 83.3% and 6.8%, respectively, in 19- year-old males in Jeju. University students in their fourth to sixth years showed a higher risk for myopia (odds ratio [OR] 2.04; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.52-2.71, P< 0.001) than those with lower academic achievement. Conclusions. The prevalence of myopia was relatively high (83.3%) in a rural area of Korea, while the rate of high myopia was relatively low (6.8%) compared with that (20.6%) in an urban area of Korea.