Prevalence of color vision deficiency among Chinese college students and their quality of life.

Aim: To investigate the prevalence of color vision deficiency (CVD) among college students and their quality of life (QoL) in a Chinese college.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed in Sichuan University in Chengdu, China. The questionnaire containing participants' demographic data, as well as CVD related QoL was distributed to students who were screened as CVD [by Color Vision Examination Plates (Version 6)] in 2022 freshman entrance examination. Color blindness QoL (CBQoL) and utility analysis were used to evaluate the QoL of CVD students.

Results: There were 381 of 17 303 (2.20%) students screened as CVD, including 368 (4.11%) males and 13 (0.16%) females. A total of 317 students completed the questionnaire, the response rate was 83.20%. Only 166 participants (52.3%) knew they have CVD before the physical examination for college entrance examination, while a total of 145 participants (45.74%) hoped to be diagnosed earlier. The medians of CBQoL score and utility were 5.85 (range 2.2-6) and 1 (range 0-1), respectively. The proportions of students whose QoL is affected by CVD were 67.63% (211/312) and 42.27% (134/317) measured by CBQoL and utility analysis respectively.

Conclusion: The prevalence of CVD in males is much higher than that in females. The time when CVD students first became aware of their CVD is relatively late. The QoL of the study population is quite high, while a large proportion of students' QoL are affected by CVD. It is suggested that as a congenital defect, CVD screening in China should be earlier, and appropriate guidance and support are needed for CVD patients to help them better adapt to life, study, and work.