1. Myopia and visual acuity impairment: a comparative study of Greek and Bulgarian school children.
- Author
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Plainis S, Moschandreas J, Nikolitsa P, Plevridi E, Giannakopoulou T, Vitanova V, Tzatzala P, Pallikaris IG, and Tsilimbaris MK
- Subjects
- Adolescent, Age Factors, Astigmatism epidemiology, Bulgaria epidemiology, Child, Female, Greece epidemiology, Humans, Male, Myopia epidemiology, Statistics as Topic, Vision Disorders epidemiology, Astigmatism physiopathology, Myopia physiopathology, Vision Disorders physiopathology, Visual Acuity physiology
- Abstract
Purpose: To compare the proportions of school children with myopia and impaired visual acuity in Greece and Bulgaria., Methods: A sample of 898 children, aged 10-15 years, was selected from two primary and two secondary schools in a Greek city (Heraklion), and one primary and secondary school in a Bulgarian city (Stara Zagora). Five hundred and eighty eight children were Greek (65.5%, mean age 12.5 +/- 0.08 years) and 310 Bulgarian (34.5%, age 12.4 +/- 0.07 years). VA was assessed with the habitual refractive correction. Refractive error was measured in the absence of cycloplegia using an auto-refractor., Results: The percentage of children, tested with their habitual refractive correction, with decimal VA <0.5 in at least one eye was 11.7% (95% CI 9.1-14.3%) for Greek and 5.2% (95% CI 2.7-7.6%) for Bulgarian pupils. The percentage of myopic children also differed between the two countries with the proportion with myopic refractive error
- Published
- 2009
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