Refractive error in a Puerto Rican rural population.

The distribution of refractive error in migrant workers and their families living in Patillas, Puerto Rico was studied. A total of 1,109 patients with an age range of 5-81 years and above was screened using the modified clinical technique. The refractive distribution of the total screened indicated that 10.2 percent had myopia, 17.7 percent had hyperopia and the rest had a combination of other refractive error (astigmatism, anisometropia and emmetropia). Myopia was most frequent in the age group 11-20 years (16.7 percent) and 21-30 years (16.8 percent) and decreased in the younger and older age groups. Frequency of hyperopia increased from age 31-70 years and then decreased thereafter. Hyperopic astigmatism was more common than myopic astigmatism across all age groups.