Prevalence and Risk Factors of Myopia among Undergraduate Students

BACKGROUND: This study aims to determine the prevalence of refractive error among undergraduate students in Far Western Nepal and association with ethnicity, parental history of myopia and environmental factors. METHODS: Non-interventional, cross-sectional study was done with random sampling involving 768 undergraduate students aged 18 to 26 years were included. Comprehensive ocular examinations were performed using non-cycloplegic refraction by single examiner. A structured, pre-validated questionnaire was used to gather personal demographics, outdoor activity levels, screen time, parental history of myopia, and ethnicity. RESULTS: The refractive error was found in 16.63% with myopia prevalent in 16.40% of the students. The findings revealed a significant association between myopia and several risk factors, including parental myopia (?=-0.86±0.05; p