Background: There is a rise in the importance of evaluating the negative impact of illnesses on quality of life from the patient's perspective. The burdens of refractive error (RE) on perceived visual functions have not been yet explored among Egyptian youth. The study aimed to determine the prevalence of self-reported RE and its association with perceived vision-related quality of life among Egyptian university students.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 821 students at Assiut University, Upper Egypt. Data was collected using a questionnaire filled by students. It composed of personal criteria, a self-report of RE and its type, the used visual aids for RE, and the visual function questionnaire (VFQ -25). Ishihara's test was used for the assessment of color vision.
Results: About 25% reported having a refractive error, and the most reported RE type was myopia. Among students with RE, nearly 76% used visual aids, and eyeglasses were used by most of students for their visual aid (90.6%). Adjusted by age and gender, RE significantly predicts low scores of perceived general health, ocular pain, mental health, dependency, role difficulties, both near and distant activities, and peripheral vision. No significant association was detected between RE and social functioning, driving ability or colored vision.
Conclusions:
Refractive error is a prevalent illness especially myopia among Egyptian university students. RE negatively affects vision-related quality of life. Accurate correction of RE and provision of subsidized visual aids may help to mitigate the adverse effect of RE on the perceived visual functions.