학령기의 비정시 실태 및 시대별 변화 양상

Purpose: This study was conducted to investigate the actual status of ametropia in school age and to determine its change over time. Methods: Overall, 1,700 subjects with no ocular disease who visited optical shops in Seoul and Gyeonggi-do from January to December 2019 were participated. School age was classified into five groups according to age. Data of spherical refraction, astigmatic amount, and astigmatic axis recorded in the prescription of eyeglasses were extracted, and significant differences between the groups were analyzed using the χ2 test and Kruskal–Wallis test. Changes in refractive error over the year were confirmed as relative trends through a comparative analysis with those reported in previous studies. Results: The 2019 analysis revealed that the prevalence of ametropia during the entire school-age period was 94.2%, and compound myopic astigmatism was highest in all groups except for the upper grades of elementary school, and it progressed with age. By contrast, the ratio of mixed astigmatism and simple myopia significantly decreased between the lower and upper grades of elementary school. Three groups of lower grades of elementary school, high school, and college students showed a similar distribution of astigmatic amount, and the ratio of with-the-rule astigmatism in all groups was highest with an average of 92.5%. By comparing refractive error by period, it was found that the continuous increase in ametropia was due to the increase in moderate myopia, and the rate of withthe- rule astigmatism in middle school and above increased. Conclusions: The results confirmed that the ratio of moderate myopia, moderate astigmatism, and high astigmatism among ametropia of school age has increased compared to that in the past 50 years. Hence, it is possible to expect the progression of myopia and astigmatism in school age in the future. Therefore, to reduce the continuation of refractive error in school age, the necessity of proper guidelines, including working hours and gazing angles suitable for the current period, can be proposed.