Abstract

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relative importance among various biological and environmental factors on refractive errors. Various factors such as diseases, health related behavior such as drinking, smoking and exercise, as well as dietary factors were considered as a possible determinant. Surveys of 492 residents over 20 years of age in Kuri city were conducted during 1998. The survey included a refractive error test adopting a autokerato-refractometer, dietary survey using a 24 hour recall method, disease survey including blood and other diagnosis tests, and a health behavior survey using questionnaires with variables of smoking, drinking, and exercise. A stepwise logistic regression analysis was adopted to analyse the relative importance among independent variables of health behaviors, disease, and dietary factors on ametropias. As a result, in the case of myopia, liver dysfunction appeared to be the most important factors followed by the health related behavior of smoking and exercise as the second most important factors. Nutrient factors such as carotene and protein appeared to be the third most important factors. Similar results had been shown in the case of the hyperopia. In summary, liver dysfunction and the health related behaviors of drinking and smoking appeared to be more influential factors on abnormal eye sight of myopia and hyperopia than dietary factors.

• Keywords: refractive error; disease; health behavior; dietary factor