Abstract
BACKGROUND: Myopia has been widely acknowledged as a growing public health concern requiring global attention. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and demographic profile of myopia among school children in Beirut City, Lebanon. METHODS: In this quantitative, cross-sectional study, 3564 school children aged 6-15 years, from 44 schools across three geographic clusters, were selected via stratified cluster random sampling. Data collection occurred from November 2022 to March 2023. After recording demographic data, visual acuity using a logMAR chart, objective refraction with a QuickSee portable autorefractometer, and dry subjective refraction were performed. RESULTS: Myopia prevalence was 14.22% (507 students, mean age = 10.5 years, SD = 2.87), higher in girls (15.1%) than boys (13.4%) and more prevalent in the 11-15yrs (19.9%) compared to the 6-10yrs age group (10.3%). Logistic regression analysis indicated associations between myopia prevalence and socio-economic status (OR = 0.79, 95% CI = 0.58-0.97, p = 0.025) mostly affecting students from low income families, geographic location with a significant difference between clusters 3 and 1 (OR = 0.79, 95% CI = 0.41-0.93, p = 0.039), and age (OR = 0.52, 95% CI = 0.42-0.64, p < 0.001), but not with gender (OR = 1.15, 95% CI = 0.94-1.42, p = 0.179). CONCLUSION: This study highlights the prevalence of myopia among school children in Beirut, particularly higher in older age groups and those from lower socio-economic backgrounds. Study findings emphasize the necessity for targeted public health interventions. Which include enhanced awareness and accessibility to eye care services to mitigate the escalating burden of myopia and its associated complications.