| Abstract [eng] |
Aim and Objectives: Myopia, the most common vision disorder, is an increasing public health concern. Several lifestyle factors, including excessive near work, reduced exposure to natural outdoor light, and physical inactivity, have been linked to myopia onset and progression in children. However, there is still a lack of research on the impact of lifestyle factors on myopia progression among young adults. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the prevalence and progression of myopia among second-year medical students in Lithuania, France, and Germany, while investigating potential lifestyle-related risk factors. Research methods: A questionnaire was administered to assess the prevalence of myopia, myopia progression and factors possibly affecting myopia onset and progression, such as near work, outdoor time, physical activity, sleep duration, screen time, screen breaks, smoking and dietary habits. Myopia was defined as a spherical equivalent of the worse eye of -0.5 diopters or less, with categories for mild, moderate and high myopia. Myopia progression was based on self-reported worsening or new need for vision correction during medical school. Results: 81 students participated, two were excluded for incompleteness of the questionnaire, leaving 79 students. The sample included 71% females and 29% males, with a mean age of 21.2 years. The prevalence of myopia after two years of study was 40.5%, with 84.4% of affected students already myopic before university enrollment. Myopia progression occurred in 11.1% of students with preexisting myopia, while five students developed new-onset myopia during their time at university. There was no significant association between near work, screen time, screen breaks, diet, or device usage in the dark and myopia progression. However, time spent outdoors showed a statistically significant association with myopia prevalence (p=0.048), although not with progression of myopia. The place of origin of the students and physical activity had a significant effect on the progression of myopia (p=0.0038, p=0.0349). Surprisingly, a higher level of physical activity (3-4 hours daily) was linked to increased myopia progression (p=0.0033), contradicting previous findings suggesting a protective effect. Sleep duration showed a weak negative correlation with myopia progression, though statistical significance was not reached. Smoking was significantly associated with subjective vision worsening (p=0.039). Although females had a slightly higher rate of myopia progression compared to males, the difference did not reach statistical significance. Conclusions: This study highlights the complex interaction of lifestyle factors and myopia development and progression. The data suggests that while increased outdoor exposure may reduce the prevalence of myopia, other variables, such as the amount of near work and physical activity, require further investigation. Future research with larger sample sizes and objective refractive measurements is needed to clarify these relationships. |
