The Prevalence of Myopia and Factors Associated with It Among Secondary School Children in Rural Vietnam.

PURPOSE: To assess the prevalence of myopia and associated factors among secondary school children in a rural area of Vietnam. METHODS: A school-based cross-sectional study of children in grades six to nine was conducted in four secondary schools in Hoang Mai town, Nghe An Province, Vietnam, during December 2018 and January 2019. The status of myopia was defined as a spherical equivalent objective refractive error of -0.50 D or worse in either eye. A case-control study was conducted to explore factors associated with myopia, where children with myopia were considered to be cases, and children without myopia were considered to be controls. Factors associated with myopia were analyzed using univariate and multivariate logistic regression. RESULTS: The prevalence of myopia among secondary school children was 14.2% (95% CI: 12.7-15.7%) and tended to increase with grade, from 10.5% in grade six to 17.7% in grade nine. Myopia prevalence in girls was significantly higher than in boys. Factors associated with myopia were a mother with a college/university education (OR = 2.5, 95% CI = 1.2-5.3), parents who wore spectacles (OR = 2.0, 95% CI = 1.1-3.8), distance from near work (OR = 5.2, 95% CI = 3.5-7.9), and taking breaks after 30 minutes of continued reading (OR = 1.6, 95% CI = 1.1-2.5). However, there were inverse associations with myopia for children belonging to the wealthiest households (OR = 0.2, 95% CI = 0.1-0.5) and time spent performing outdoor activities (OR = 0.6, 95% CI = 0.4-0.9). CONCLUSION: Our study showed that the prevalence of myopia is considerable among secondary children in rural areas of Vietnam. The prevalence of myopia tended to increase among children in higher grade levels. Thus, appropriate interventions should be developed and conducted to deal with the issue of school-age myopia.

Bullous Keratopathy Secondary to Anterior Chamber Angle Foreign Body.

BACKGROUND: Penetrating ocular trauma with intraocular foreign body is a serious injury often resulting in loss of vision. Anterior chamber foreign bodies account for a considerable portion of all cases of all intraocular foreign bodies (up to 15%); however, they can be missed due to inconspicuous location. CASE REPORT: We report two cases of retained intraocular foreign bodies in the iridocorneal angle that was missed at the first ophthalmic examination. They were only discovered when complications occurred, such as corneal edema and increased intraocular pressure. In the case whereby the foreign body was taken out early, corneal damages were reversible. However, in the case whereby the foreign body was taken out late, endothelial damage was irreversible and endothelial transplantation was needed. CONCLUSION: Regarding trauma patients, a careful examination should be performed to discover foreign bodies in the iridocorneal angle. If local peripheral corneal edema occurred, attention should be paid to the trauma history and to timely discovery of the foreign body. This will prevent any irreversible corneal damages.