Changes of Refractive Errors and Optometric Values in Fourth Graders at an Urban Elementary School in Korea

Eun Ryung Han; Ji Eun Kang; Roo Min Jun; Kyu Ryong Choi

doi:10.3341/jkos.2007.48.8.1119-1125

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Han, Kang, Jun, and Choi: Changes of Refractive Errors and Optometric Values in Fourth Graders at an Urban Elementary School in Korea

Original Article

J Korean Ophthalmol Soc 2007;48(8):1119-1125.

Published online: 24 August 2007

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3341/jkos.2007.48.8.1119-1125

Changes of Refractive Errors and Optometric Values in Fourth Graders at an Urban Elementary School in Korea

Eun Ryung Han, M.D., Ji Eun Kang, M.D., Roo Min Jun, M.D., Kyu Ryong Choi, M.D.

The Institute of Ophthalmology and Optometry, Department of Ophthalmology, Ewha Womans University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea

Address Reprint requests to Kyu Ryong Choi, M.D., Department of Ophthalmology, Mokdong Hospital, College of Medicine, Ewha Womans University #911-1 Mok-dong, Yangcheon-gu, Seoul 158-050, Korea., Tel: 82-2-2650-5031, Fax: 82-2-643-1146, E-mail: ckrey02@mm.ewha.ac.kr

Received 31 January 2007 Accepted 15 May 2007

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Abstract

Purpose

To evaluate changes in refractive errors and quantify optometric values in 4th graders at an urban elementary school in Korea.

Methods

A total of 188 school children (376 eyes) were assessed in a population-based, cross-sectional and longitudinal follow-up study between March and December 2003. Uncorrected visual acuity, best corrected visual acuity, corneal refractive power measured with auto keratometer (KR-8100, Topcon® Inc., Japan), axial length measured with A-scan ultrasound biometry (A/B-scan system 835, Humphrey® Inc., Dublin, CA), and cycloplegic refraction were evaluated on March and December, respectively.

Results

Mean visual acuity decreased from −0.15±0.29 LogMAR to −0.20±0.35 LogMAR and mean spherical equivalent (SE) showed myopic progression from −0.65±1.57 diopter (D) to −0.88±1.75D. The prevalence rate of myopia (<-0.50D SE) was increased from 44.1% to 50.3%, while that of hyperopia (> +1.00D SE) was decreased from 8.0% to 5.8%. Mean corneal refractive power changed from 43.21±1.29D to 43.35±1.31D, and mean axial length changed from 23.38±0.88 mm to 23.60±0.92 mm, respectively.

Conclusions

We assessed the changes of refractive errors and quantified the optometric values in a population-based, longitudinal follow-up study. The results showed that the prevalence of myopia and the mean axial length increased during our study in urban elementary 4th graders in Korea.

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Keywords: Optometric value, Refractive error, Myopia

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Table 1.

Comparison of uncorrected visual acuity using logMAR between March and December

[No. of eyes (%)]

	March	December	Difference	p-value
Total
Uncorrected visual acuity (logMAR, mean±SD)	-0.15±0.29	-0.20±0.35	-0.05±0.16	< 0.0001^∗
Group of logMAR
0≦	200 (53.2)	181 (48.1)		0.0152^†
-0.5 ≦ <0	112 (29.8)	113 (30.0)
-1.0≦ < −0.5	64 (17.0)	71 (18.9)
-1.5 ≦ <-1.0	0 (0.0)	10 (2.7)
-2.0≦ <-1.5	0 (0.0)	1 (0.3)
Boys
Uncorrected visual acuity (logMAR, mean±SD)	-0.11±0.25	-0.15±0.30	-0.04±0.15	0.0009^∗
Group of logMAR
0≦	107 (56.3)	100 (52.6)		0.4257^†
-0.5 ≦ <0	60 (31.6)	57 (30.0)
-1.0≦ <-0.5	23 (12.1)	32 (16.8)
-1.5 ≦ <-1.0	0 (0.0)	1 (0.5)
-2.0≦ <-1.5	0 (0.0)	0 (0.0)
Girls
Uncorrected visual acuity (logMAR, mean±SD)	-0.19±0.32	-0.25±0.40	-0.06±0.18	< 0.0001^∗
Group of logMAR
0≦	93 (50.0)	81 (43.6)		0.0263^†
-0.5 ≦ <0	52 (28.0)	56 (30.1)
-1.0≦ <-0.5	41 (22.0)	39 (21.0)
-1.5 ≦ <-1.0	0 (0.0)	9 (4.8)
-2.0≦ <-1.5	0 (0.0)	1 (0.5)
Total	376 (100.0)	376 (100.0)

^∗ : statistical significance was tested by paired t-test.

^† : statistical significance was tested by chi-square test.

Table 2.

Comparison of refractive error between March and December

[No. of eyes (%)]

	March	December	Difference	p-value
Total
Refractive error (Diopter, mean±SD)	-0.65±1.57	-0.88±1.75	-0.23±0.67	<0.0001^∗

Myopia (≦ −0.5D)	166 (44.2)	188 (50.1)		0.2295^†
Emetropia (-0.5D< <1.0D)	180 (47.9)	165 (43.9)
Hyperopia (1.0DS)	30 (7.9)	23 (6.0)
Boys
Refractive error (Diopter, mean±SD)	-0.50±1.54	-0.76±1.67	-0.26±0.76	<0.0001^∗

Myopia (≦-0.5D)	79 (41.6)	93 (48.9)		0.3159^†
Emetropia (-0.5D< <1.0D)	96 (50.5)	86 (45.3)
Hyperopia (1.0D≦)	15 (7.9)	11 (5.8)
Girls
Refractive error (Diopter, mean±SD)	-0.82±1.58	-1.01±1.82	-0.19±0.56	<0.0001^∗

Myopia (≦-0.5D)	87 (46.8)	95 (51.1)		0.6576^†
Emetropia (-0.5D< <1.0D)	84 (45.2)	79 (42.5)
Hyperopia (1.0D≦)	15 (8.0)	12 (6.4)
Total	376 (100.0)	376 (100.0)

^∗ : statistical significance was tested by paired t-test.

^† : statistical significance was tested by chi-square test.

Table 3.

Comparison of axial length between March and December

(mm)

	March (mean±SD)	December (mean±SD)	Difference (mean±SD)	p-value
Boys	23.53±0.85	23.75±0.89	0.22±0.15	< 0.0001^∗
Girls	23.23±0.88	23.44±0.92	0.21±0.25	< 0.0001^∗
Total	23.38±0.88	23.60±0.92	0.22±0.21	< 0.0001^∗

^∗ : statistical significance was tested by paired t-test.

Table 4.

Comparison of corneal refractory power between March and December

[diopter (D)]

	March (mean±SD)	December (mean±SD)	Difference (mean±SD)	p-value
Boys	43.08±1.23	43.24±1.24	0.15±0.29	< 0.0001^∗
Girls	43.35±1.34	43.46±1.38	0.11±0.46	0.0010^∗
Total	43.21±1.29	43.35±1.31	0.13±0.38	< 0.0001^∗

^∗ : statistical significance was tested by paired t-test.

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