Prevalence and associated factors of eyeglass wear and poor visual acuity among primary and secondary school students in Baoji

Objective To analyze prevalence and associated factors of poor visual acuity and eyeglass wear among primary and secondary school students in Baoji. Methods A vision survey among 10 225 students aged 7 to 18 years in Baoji was conducted in April 2016. Prevalence and associated factor of poor visual acuity and eyeglass wear was analyzed. Results The prevalence rate of myopia was 42.84% in Baoji primary and secondary school students, among which 53.47% wore eyeglasses. The rate of poor visual acuity and eyeglass wear was higher among girls than that of boys. Ordinary least square regression analysis showed that the rate of visual impairment increased, while visual acuity decreased with age. The rate of eyeglass wearing increased with age in general (β = 0.042, 95%CI = 0.030,0.054, P<0.01), while being boy decreased the likelihood of eyeglass wear (β = -0.033, 95%CI =-0.060, -0.006, P= 0.02). Conclusion The prevalence rate of poor visual acuity is high, while the rate of eyeglass wear is low in Baoji prefecture. The degree of visual impairment significantly affects the rate of eyeglass wear.