Defectos de refracción ocular en estudiantes del primer año de la Facultad de Ciencias Médicas de la Universidad Nacional de Asunción

Abstract

Refractive eye defects occur when a component of the eye's optical system is unable to focus the optical image, necessitating the use of corrective methods such as glasses or contact lenses. The aim of this research was to identify the most common refractive eye defects in first-year students at the Faculty of Medical Sciences of the National University of Asuncion. This was an observational, descriptive, and cross-sectional study. Both quantitative and qualitative variables were measured, including age, gender, the presence of refractive eye defects, family history, corrective methods, daily screen exposure time, and the frequency of ophthalmological visits.

Most of the respondents were female, with an average age of 20.95 years. A majority had ocular refractive errors and a history of family eye conditions. The most common refractive error was myopia, followed by astigmatism. The most commonly used corrective method is glasses, with a predominant daily screen exposure time of 9-11 hours, and the majority visit an ophthalmologist annually.