This study aimed to determine the relationship between the presence of visual problems and academic success, in a population of students aged 15–22 years.

This was a prospective, nonrandomized study involving clinical testing and structured interviews. At recruitment (September 2012 to April 2013), participants were asked to answer a questionnaire consisting of 28 questions aiming to identify symptoms commonly related to visual disorders. Each question was graded from 0 (no symptoms) to 2 (frequent). This questionnaire was followed by a visual screening including binocular function. If a problem was identified, participants were referred to an ophthalmologist for a comprehensive examination and an orthoptic work-up (September 2012 to June 2013). Participants returned in September 2013 for a follow-up. The findings were analyzed regarding academic grades and the scores obtained during national examinations in June 2014.

Many participants in this study had visual disorders and the presence of these disorders was not associated with the expression of visual discomfort: 24.3% of participants expressed visual discomfort while 86.5% had visual disorders. More than half of the participants had hyperopia often associated with binocular vision problems, which they were not aware of because both their distance and near visual acuity were good.

Although the results of this study cannot be extrapolated to all young people aged 15–22 years, the study confirms the link between visual problems and academic achievement while emphasizing the high prevalence of such problems in the population studied.