PREVALENCE OF MYOPIA AMONG MEDICAL STUDENTS FROM “GRIGORE T. POPA” UNIVERSITY OF MEDICINE AND PHARMACY

Introduction: There are scientific evidences that the etiology of juvenile-onset myopia involves both genetic and environmental factors. Excessive near work represents the most frequently cited environmental factor associated with the development of this disease. Objectives: The aim of our study was to assess some epidemiological aspects of myopia in today`s medical students from “Grigore T. Popa” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, including the prevalence of this disorder, and the differences between generations. Materials and methods: A questionnaire was shared via the internet on the social groups of the University`s Medical Students. Five hundred and seventy-six (576) students filled the survey online: from the 1st year - 105 students; 2nd year - 86; 3rd year - 121; 4th year - 80; 5th year – 86, and from the 6th year - 98 students. Results: 73.8% of the students included in the study suffer from myopia. At a first glance, the analysis of myopic students’ distribution by the university year showed no significant difference: 1st year – 73.3%; 2nd year – 74.4%; 3rd year – 71.9%; 4th year - 77.5%; 5th year - 68.6%, and 6th year – 77.6% (p<0.005).  The percentage of the 6th year students that entered the university with myopia was 43.8%. Furthermore, we observed that the number of students that already had myopia before entering the university has progressively increased. To emphasize how important the difference is, this year 64% of the 1st year students already were diagnosed with myopia. Conclusions: These results open a debate regarding the causes of the increasing number of students suffering from myopia, including the difficult academic requirements, the behavioral changes, the genetic factors or the poor quality of nutrition.