Prevalence and risk indicators of myopia among schoolchildren in Amman, Jordan

ABSTRACT

We aimed to identify the prevalence and risk factors of myopia among secondary-school students in Amman. Thus 1777 [1081 males and 696 females] students aged 12-17 years old were recruited from 8 schools randomly selected from 8 different geographic locations in Amman. Data were collected by questionnaire, and self-reported myopia was checked against school medical records. The prevalence of myopia was 17.6%, with no significant difference between males and females after adjusting for other possible variables. Myopia was significantly associated with age, family history of myopia, computer use, and reading and writing outside school. Playing sports was inversely associated with myopia but there was no association with watching television