PROGRESSION OF MYOPIA IN MEDICAL STUDENTS OF KHYBER MEDICAL COLLEGE, PESHAWAR

Objectives: To assess the progression of myopia in the medical students of Khyber Medical College (KMC), Peshawar, Pakistan. Materials and methods: This cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted at Khyber Medical College from May to June 2022. Data was collected after obtaining approval from the Ethical Board. Responses from 203 students were collected. An online questionnaire was designed using Google Forms and was shared through the official WhatsApp groups of all five years of KMC via a simple random sampling technique was used. The progression of myopia was estimated by analyzing the increase in the dioptre number among myopic students. Various factors such as screen time, study hours, and family history were also taken into account. The responses were recorded and analyzed using SPSS version 22 software. Results: Out of the 203 collected samples, 59.61% of the students were myopic, and among those myopic students, 53.39% noticed an increase in their dioptre number after admission to medical college. Additionally, various factors such as screen time, study hours, and family history were also considered. 50.4% of the myopic students reported their screen time to be 4-6 hours. Similarly, 64.4% of the myopic students had 1-3 hours as their reading time. Moreover, 75.2% of the myopic students had a positive family history of myopia. Conclusion: Myopia is highly prevalent among medical students at Khyber Medical College. The study revealed a significant number of myopic students experiencing progression of myopia after admission to medical college. Keywords: Myopia, dioptre, screen time, study hours