Diseases of the eye and the adnexa, particularly accommodation disorders and refractive errors, including myopia, occupy a leading position in the morbidity structure of schoolchildren, and their prevalence shows a steady upward trend. Delayed diagnosis of visual impairment is a risk factor for deterioration of the quality of life.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to determine the age of myopia onset in schoolchildren based on medical examination data.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The study included a total of 1450 students in grades 1—11 of general education schools, they were examined by an ophthalmologist. The subsequent analysis included healthy students and those diagnosed with accommodation and refractive disorders (H52) (1378 children, including 669 boys and 709 girls). Statistical analysis was performed using Jamovi software.

RESULTS

Accommodation and refractive disorders were detected in 37% of the examined schoolchildren, myopia — in 24.8%, and accommodation disorders — in 12.2%. Mathematical analysis revealed a direct correlation between age and myopia (r=0.28; p<0.001). Logistic regression analysis identified age as the primary predictor of myopia development, with gender exerting a minor effect. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis showed that age had moderate prognostic value for predicting the risk of myopia; the area under the curve (AUC) was 0.684. The optimal cutoff point was 11 years of age.

CONCLUSION

The pathological prevalence of myopia among adolescents is up to 2.5 times higher than the morbidity reported in official statistics. According to medical examination results, every third student has accommodation and refractive disorders. The age of 11 years can be recommended as an additional ophthalmological screening point during preventive medical examinations of minors.