Six-Year Trends on Prevalence of Myopia among School Children in Liuyang, Central South China: Screening Data from 2013 to 2018

Abstract Background Myopia is the most common and leading cause of eye problems affecting people of all ages and yet a preventable cause of blindness. The prevalence of myopia in China varied a lot, and related study is lacking from Central South China. So the purpose of this study was to investigate the trends in the prevalence of myopia among under-college school children from 2013 to 2018 in Liuyang district, Central South of China. Methods This was a population-based retrospective study. Uncorrected visual acuity test with the Standard Logarithmic Visual Acuity E chart was used to detect myopia. The yearly age-specific prevalence was calculated and compared. Results A total of 854907 children from Grade 1 to 12 were included. The prevalence of myopia increased from 24.3% (2013) to 35.9% (2018), with a significant trend of increase (p < 0.001). Persistence higher prevalence was seen in girls than boys, urban dwellers than rural dwellers, and senior high school than that of junior high or primary school children. Significant increase trends in the prevalence of severe myopia were seen across time (from year 2013 to 2018) in each age group among students from 11 to 18 years old (p < 0.001). Conclusions There was a remarkable yearly increase in myopia prevalence among school children of all ages and across all grades in China from 2013 to 2018, especially in female, urban and high school students. It is urgently needed for an effective public health intervention for the control of myopia among all Chinese school children.