Prevalence of refractive errors in young and middle‐aged adults in Norway

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Abstract
: Purpose: To determine the prevalence of refractive errors in the young and middle‐aged adult population in Norway.Methods: Refractive errors were measured in a population‐based sample of young (20–25 years) and middle‐aged (40–45 years) adults participating in the Helseundersøkelse i Nord Trøndelag (HUNT) Health Study, conducted in the County of Nord‐Trøndelag in Norway.Results: A total of 3137 persons (1248 young and 1889 middle‐aged adults) with corrected visual acuity ≥ 0.5 (in either eye) were included in the study. The prevalence of myopia was 35.0% in the young adult group and 30.3% in the middle‐aged group. Myopia was significantly higher in women aged 20–25 years (36.4%) than in men aged 40–45 years (28.1%). Prevalence of hyperopia increased with age from 13.2% (20–25 years) to 17.4% (40–45 years). The highest rate of hyperopia (20.1%) was encountered in middle‐aged women.Conclusion: The results show a slightly higher prevalence of myopia in the general population of Norway than previously estimated.

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