Prevalence of myopia among teenagers attending University of Ilorin Secondary School, Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria

Abstract

Myopia is a significant and growing public health concern, with its prevalence increasing disproportionately among younger age groups. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of myopia among teenagers attending the University of Ilorin Secondary School, Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria. A cross-sectional, school-based study was conducted among 218 teenagers aged 13 to 17 years (mean age: 14.59 ± 0.9 years). Ocular examinations included visual acuity assessment, ophthalmoscopy, and objective refraction by retinoscopy. Myopia was defined as a spherical equivalent refraction (SER) of ≥ −0.50 DS and was further classified as low (< −3.00 D), moderate (−3.00 D to −6.00 D), or high (> −6.00 D). Data were analysed using IBM-SPSS version 23.0. Results were expressed as frequencies and percentages, and the Chi-square test was used to assess associations at a significance level of p < 0.05. The overall prevalence of myopia was 18.81% (n = 41). Females exhibited a significantly higher prevalence of myopia (68.29%) compared to males (31.71%), and this difference was statistically significant (χ² = 4.343, p = 0.037). Low-degree myopia was the most common form, accounting for 95.12% of myopic participants. The prevalence of myopia was highest among 14 years old participants (27.91%). Approximately one in five teenagers in this study population had myopia, with females being the most affected. These findings underscore the need for large scale, population-based surveys to establish the full magnitude of myopia among Nigerian adolescents and to guide targeted public health interventions.