TITLE:
Visual Impairment, Spectacle Wear and Academic Performance among Junior High School Students in Western China
AUTHORS:
Nan Wang, Jingchun Nie
KEYWORDS:
Academic Performance, Refractive Error, Visual Impairment, Secondary School Students, Western Rural China, Multiple Regression
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Social Sciences,
Vol.9 No.2,
February
19,
2021
ABSTRACT: Purpose: To assess the
prevalence and academic impact of visual impairment and spectacle wear among
rural junior high school students in western China. Methods: In September 2013,
2248 students from 36 junior high schools in Shaanxi Province underwent assessment
of visual acuity (VA), completed a questionnaire about their spectacle use and were administered a standardized
mathematics examination. Results: Among 2248
students, visual impairment was about 31% (699/2248). Spectacle wear was
observed 37% (360/966) children needing glasses. Ownership of
spectacles among children needing glasses was associated with poorer
uncorrected vision in the better-seeing eye (P 0.001) and paternal educational (P = 0.001), but not age, sex,
boarding at school, both parents having out-migrated
for work or maternal education. Spectacle ownership among children with visual
impairment was associated with better test performance (P=0.035). Conclusion:
Visual impairment and non-wear of spectacle were common. Wearing spectacles was
associated with better academic performance in this cross-sectional analysis,
consistent with recent trial results among younger children.