AIM: To understand the visual acuity and spectacle usage among primary and secondary school students in Xi'an city, providing scientific evidence for making myopia prevention and control efforts.

METHODS:Vision screening and spectacles usage survey was conducted on 38 226 students in 119 primary and secondary schools from 16 counties and districts in Xi'an city, and uncorrected visual acuity, refractive power, glasses wearing rate, full correction rate were statistically analyzed.

RESULTS:The myopia rate among primary and secondary school students in Xi'an city is 61.53%, showing an increasing trend as the grade level goes up(χ²_trend=5332.203, P<0.01). Among them, the proportion of mild myopia decreases with the increase of grade level, while the proportion of moderate and high myopia shows an upward trend with the increase of grade level(χ²_trend=2671.562, P<0.01). The glasses wearing rate among myopic students is 51.69%, showing an upward trend as the grade level goes up(χ²_trend=1486.941, P<0.01). The spectacle prescription rate for female students is higher than that for male students(χ²=23.659, P<0.01), and the rate in urban areas is higher than that in suburban counties(χ²=102.241, P<0.01). The full correction rate among students wearing glasses is 67.08%, and the rate for students wearing glasses in urban areas is higher than that in suburban counties(χ²=4.980, P<0.05). Among myopic students, 63.66% had undergone visual acuity checks more than or equal to twice in the past year, with vocational high school students having the lowest frequency of twice vision screenings, accounting for 58.06%. There is a negative correlation between myopic students residing in suburban counties and their glasses wearing rate, while a higher grade level and increased frequency of annual vision checks are positively correlated with the glasses wearing rate among myopic students(all P<0.01).

CONCLUSION:The situation of students' myopia prevention and control is severe in Xi'an city, with low rates of spectacles usage, full correction, and frequency of visual checks. Special attention needs to be paid to the vision correction status of students in suburban counties, primary schools, and vocational high schools.