Myopia Risk Factors in the Children of Higher Socio-economic Status of Kathmandu, Nepal

1. Yuddha Sapkota¹
2. Bhabani Panta¹
3. Sailesh Mishra¹
4. Hukum Pokhrel¹
5. Gopal Pokhrel¹
6. Leon Ellewein²

¹Nepal Netra Jyoti Sangh, Tripureshwor, Kathmandu, Nepal
²National Eye Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, USA

Purpose:
To investigate the risk factors for Myopia among the school going children of higher socio economic status parents in Kathmandu.

Method:
Random selection of class-based clusters was used to identify a sample of children 5 to 15 years of age among the A graded private schools of Kathmandu valley. Children in the 100 selected clusters at 42 schools were enumerated and underwent ocular examination for visual acuity measurements, cycloplegic auto-refraction, ocular motility evaluation, and anterior segment, media, and fundus examinations in 2006. The same cohort was followed up after two years in 2008, with repetition of refraction and ocular examination, a risk factor questionnaires were also administered during follow up examination.

Result:
A total of 43.6 % (41.4% among previously having myopia, 44.4% emmetropia and 33.2% hyperopia) out of 4270 children underwent follow up eye examination. Among them 542 (29.0%) were found to be progressed myopia by at least -0.5 Dioptre and 328 (18.0%) progressed by at least -2.0 Dioptre. The multivariate logistic regression shows that progression of myopia was associated with increasing age, higher parental education, and higher power of glasses and less hour's outdoor activities among the examined children.

Conclusion:
Myopia is found to be more progressive and is significant with increasing age and it is further increased among the children who spent fewer hours for outdoor activities. So the findings suggest that more hours of outdoor activities in children is less likely to have progression of Myopia.