To determine the prevalence of refractive errors in a population of university students in Kazerun, south of Iran

Using multi-stage sampling in all universities located in Kazerun, a number of university majors were selected as clusters. Then, proportional to the size, a number of students in each major were randomly selected to participate in the study. All participants underwent the measurement of visual acuity, non-cycloplegic and subjective refraction, and corrected visual acuity.

Of 1595 students that were invited, 1462 participated in the study (response rate=91.66%). The prevalence of visual impairment was 2.19% (95% CI:1.48 – 3.23) in the study population, of whom 1.92% (95% CI: 1.27 – 2.88) had low vision and 0.27% (95% CI: 0.12 – 0.62) were blind. Refractive errors comprised 75% of the causes of visual impairment. The prevalence (95% CI) of myopia, hyperopia, astigmatism, and anisometropia was 42.71% (39.71 – 45.77), 3.75% (2.85 – 4.51), 29.46% (27.50- 31.50), and 3.75% (2.82 – 4.51), respectively. Totally, 49.03% (95% CI: 46.39 – 51.68) of the participants had at least one refractive error. According to the results of multiple logistic regression analysis, myopia and hyperopia were not correlated with age, sex, and height. The odds of astigmatism in participants aged 26-27 years (OR=1.64; 95% CI: 1.03 – 2.61), and the odds of anisometropia in participants above the age of 30 years (OR=1.64; 95% CI: 1.03 – 2.61) were higher than subjects aged 18-19 years.

The prevalence of refractive errors, especially myopia, is higher in university students as compared to the general population. Since refractive errors constitute a major part of VI, university students should receive special services for providing corrective lenses and glasses to reduce the burden of these disorders.