Demographic and Clinical Characteristics of Myopia in Children at The University College Hospital, Ibadan

Background: Myopia is becoming a disease of public health importance, gradually attaining a global epidemic. For this reason, it is important to provide local data for eye health planning. This study aimed to describe demographic and clinical characteristics of myopia in children in Ibadan and to contribute to eye health planning and interventions. Methods: This was a descriptive retrospective study conducted at the paediatric ophthalmology clinic. The clinical records of children aged 1 to 15 years, who received a myopia diagnosis (spherical equivalent ≥ -0.5 diopter) between January 2018 and December 2022 was retrieved. The data collected were demographic information, ophthalmic and medical histories, degree of myopia, presenting complaints, and compliance with follow-up visits. Data analysis was conducted using IBM SPSS version 20; IBM. Results: The case notes of 542 children were reviewed and 212 of them were retained according to the study inclusion criteria. The frequency of myopia in this study was 39.1%. Children aged between 8 and 15 years were in the majority and represented 74.06%. Visual impairement was the commonest complaint (93.3%) followed by photophobia (28.3%). The majority of children (71%) had low myopia. Posterior segment findings of a large pale optic disc and tigroid retina were seen in 5.2% and 4.7% respectively. Conclusion: Myopia is a common refractive error among children attending our clinic. Low myopia was more common and a few children had posterior segment anomalies associated with myopia.