ABSTRACT

Objective:

To assess myopia prevalence in children from public schools of the metropolitan region of Porto Alegre, in Rio Grande do Sul.

Methods:

It is a prospective cross-sectional study with a sample of 330 children from public schools of the metropolitan region of Porto Alegre, from 5 to 20 years old. The students were submitted to an ophthalmological evaluation including auto-refractor measurements, best corrected and uncorrected visual acuity, subjective refraction under cycloplegia and axial length. The outcomes were prevalence of myopia, high myopia, and low myopia. Pearson's chi-squared test was used to assess the relationship between prevalence and the variable contemplated in the questionnaire.

Results:

The prevalence of myopia was 17.4% (CI 13.8 – 21.7%). Low and high myopia corresponded to 15.2% (CI 11.9 – 19.3%) and 2.1% (CI 1.1 – 4.1%), respectively.

Conclusion:

This is the highest prevalence of myopia under cycloplegia found in Brazil to date. Other studies are necessary to understand the prevalence and evolution of the condition in the country.

Keywords:
Myopia; Prevalence; Brazil; Children; Students; Epidemiology