Refractive Error And Retinal Disease In New Medical University Students

1. Hiroyuki Kagokawa¹
2. Satoshi Ishiko²
3. Kazuhiro Sugawara¹
4. Yuichiro Kawamura³
5. Mitose Fujio³
6. Akitoshi Yoshida¹

¹Department of Ophthalmology, Asahikawa Medical University, Asahikawa, Japan.
²Department of Medicine and Engineering Combined Research Institute, Asahikawa Medical University, Asahikawa, Japan.
³Health Administration Center, Asahikawa Medical University, Asahikawa, Japan

Purpose: To study the refractive error and retinal diseases among new students at Asahikawa Medical University.

Methods: A total of 124 eyes of 62 students (43 men, 19 women, 20.4 ± 3.6 years old) were included in this study. The refractive error was measured using a refractometer (TONOREF RKT-7700, Nidek, Japan) 60 minutes after instillation of 0.5% tropicamide and 0.5% phenylephrine hydrochloride. The axial length was measured using A-mode ultrasound (IOL Master 500, Zeiss, Germany). A fundus examination was performed.

Results: The mean spherical equivalent (SE) refractive error was - 4.6 ± 2.8 diopters (D). The prevalence of myopia (SE exceeding -0.5 D) was 95.2%, and that of high myopia (SE exceeding -6 D) was 29.8%. The mean axial length was 25.7 ± 1.4 mm. There was no significant gender difference in the SE or axial length. Twelve eyes (9.7%) had a retinal pathology, i.e., nine eyes had lattice degeneration, and three eyes had lattice degeneration with a hole. Of the 12 eyes with a retinal pathology, four (10.8%) of 37 eyes had a SE exceeding -6 D, six (13.3%) of 45 eyes had a SE between -3 D and -6 D, and two (5.6%) of 36 eyes had a SE between -0.5 D and -3 D. No eyes with a SE below -0.5 D (6 eyes) had a retinal disease.

Conclusions: We found a high percentage of myopic eyes, and there was a high prevalence of retinal disease in the new students in Asahikawa Medical University.