| Summary: | Objectives: To assess the prevalence of refractive errors and their types among medical students at the University of Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. Design: A quantitative, cross-sectional, descriptive study using self-administered electronic questionnaires. Materials and Methods: We conducted our study among medical students and interns that included 325 participants at the University of Tabuk using a self-administered questionnaire that contains demographics and an assessment of refractive errors. Results were stratified according to gender, age group, and academic year. Results: Around half of the participants wear eyeglasses. 43.2% of the females are myopic, while 30.6% of males have myopia. Hypermetropia was found in 7.7% of females and 6.4% of males. Astigmatism was reported in 13.5% of females and 16.8% of males. Discussions: The percentage of students with eyeglasses at University of Tabuk is higher than in Al-Kharj. Compared with students at Jazan University, our results showed a comparable proportion of myopia, a lower percentage of hypermetropia, and a higher percentage of astigmatism. Conclusions: Refractive errors were documented in many medical students at the University of Tabuk. Further studies regarding visual impairment among undergraduates are needed to identify the associated risk factors so preventive methods can be applied.
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