Objective  To analyze the correlation between poor vision and boarding at school among rural students in western China, and to provide evidences for effective interventions on poor vision.

  Methods  We conducted questionnaire surveys and visual acuity examinations among 58 684 students in 429 rural schools in Shaanxi and Gansu province in 2012 and 2016. A standardized questionnaire and Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) chart were used in the surveys.

  Results  The prevalence rate of poor vision was 31.45% and 57.6% among the students of 4th – 6th and 7th – 9th grade. Significantly higher prevalence rate of poor vision was observed among the girl students, junior high school students, the students with their parents not living at home, the students with parental education of under junior high school, the students in Shaanxi province, and among the students surveyed in 2016 (P < 0.001 for all). For the students in 6th or upper grade, the prevalence rate of poor vision was significantly higher among those not boarding at school than among those boarding at school (P < 0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that girl students, junior high school students, the students with parental education of higher than junior high school, and the students surveyed in 2016 were more likely to have poor vision (P < 0.05 for all). Furthermore, multivariate linear regression and matching analysis indicated that the students not boarding at school were significantly more likely to have poor vision and severe poor vision (both P < 0.1).

  Conclusion  Among the students in rural western China, the prevalence of poor vision is high and influenced mainly by gender, study grade, parental education, and whether boarding at school and whether boarding at school associates with the prevalence of poor vision and non-boarding students may have a higher poor vision prevalence than boarding students.