J Prev Med Public Health.  2011 Jan;44(1):56-64. 10.3961/jpmph.2011.44.1.56.

The Prevalence of High Myopia in 19 Year-Old Men in Busan, Ulsan and Gyeongsangnam-Do

• Lee SJ
• Urm SH
• Yu BC
• Sohn HS
• Hong YS
• Noh MS
• Lee YH

• KMID: 1003040
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3961/jpmph.2011.44.1.56

Abstract

OBJECTIVES
The purpose of this study was to estimate the prevalence and correlated factors of high myopia in 19 year-old men in Southeast Korea.
METHODS
This retrospective study was based on the medical checkup data of conscription during 2005. The study subjects were 19 years old men in Busan, Ulsan and Gyeongsangnam-do. The health checkup data of the conscripts consisted of noncycloplegic autorefraction test, the biometric data and social factors. To analyze the social and biometric effects, we classified the biometric factors into 4 or 5 groups and the social factors into 3 groups. High myopia was defined as a spherical equivalent of under -6.0 diopter. Data analysis was performed using the chi square test for trends and multiple logistic regression analysis. The SAS(version 9.1) program was used for all the analyses.
RESULTS
The prevalence of high myopia was 12.39% (6256 / 50 508). The factors correlated with high myopia were the residence area (OR, 2.07; 95% CI, 1.77 to 2.4 for small city; OR, 2.01; 95% CI, 1.72 to 2.34 for metropolis; the reference group was rural area), academic achievement (OR, 1.43; 95% CI, 1.34 to 1.53 for students of 4-and 6-year-course university; the reference group was high school graduates & under) and blood pressure (OR, 1.54; 95% CI, 1.10 to 2.16 for hypertension; OR, 1.09; 95% CI, 1.02 to 1.17 for prehypertension; OR, 1.10; 95% CI, 1.01 to 1.20 for hypotension; the reference group was normal blood pressure).
CONCLUSIONS
More than one tenth of the young men were high myopia as one of the risk factor for visual loss. Further studies on high myopia and its complications are needed to improve eye health in Southeast Korea.

Keyword

Prevalence; High myopia; Blood pressure

MeSH Terms

Body Mass Index
Cluster Analysis
Comorbidity
Humans
Hypertension/*epidemiology
Hypotension/*epidemiology
Male
Military Personnel/statistics & numerical data
Myopia/classification/*epidemiology
Prevalence
Republic of Korea/epidemiology
*Residence Characteristics
Retrospective Studies
Rural Population
Severity of Illness Index
Urban Population
Young Adult