Thesis (M.Sc.) - Cairo University - Faculty of Medicine - Department of Community Medicine

Myopia is a global public health problem leading to visual impairment and other complications in both developing and developed countries. The prevalence of myopia is increasing in children in the school age group. Malnutrition is a common public health problem in children of the same age group. The majority of the studied myopic children were undernourished with vitamin A, potassium, calcium and magnesium. More than half of them were undernourished with fat, vitamin C, vitamin B1,B2 and phosphorus. One third of them were undernourished with iron and copper. On the contrary, the majority of them over consumed carbohydrates, proteins and salt. One third were deficient in vitamin E in blood and one fourth were deficient in vitamin C in blood. One third of them were anemic. More than one fourth showed oxidative stress. It was found that the severity of myopia was inversely proportional with the socioeconomic status. Half of the mothers didn't take vitamin A after labor and one quarter of the children didn't take vitamin A after birth. The current study shows that (14.9%) of the study group are stunted, while (4.5%) are taller than normal. Moreover, (6%) of them are underweight, (11.9%) are overweight, while (7.5%) are obese. The majority of the study group suffer from accommodative and convergence stress due to prolonged reading duration, watching T.V. using computers and playing with mobile games.Recommendations: Improvement of nutritional status of the myopic children by increasing their and their parents awareness about healthy diets, diet rich in antioxidants, other vitamins and minerals ,essential amino acids and essential fatty acids , low in refined sugar ,saturated fat and avoiding high salty food. Increasing their awareness about the importance of taking vitamin A by mothers after labor and receiving vitamin A by children during their vaccination after birth.They have to be health educated about avoiding risky habits and exposure to environmental risk factors which may predispose to and increase myopia severity

Issued also as CD