Study shows importance of tackling myopia early

October 28, 2020 Staff reporters

A 12-year study has shown early onset myopia is strongly associated with high myopia risk in adulthood and delaying onset substantially reduces the risks, supporting the need for prompt myopia prevention strategies 

 

While early-onset myopia is well known to progress to high myopia in adulthoodprior to this study there was no accurate estimation of what specific age for myopia onset was associated with the probability of developing high myopia in adulthoodTo counter this, researchers from the Sun Yat-sen University of Medical Sciences in Guangzhou, China, launched a prospective long-term cohort study of Guangzhou twins (2006-2018), enrolling 443 participants who developed myopia. Study participants were then followed up annually until they were at least 17-years-old 

 

The study’s 12-year findings confirmed the risk of developing high myopia was greater than 50% (14 of 26) for those with myopia onset at seven or eight years of age. The risk substantially decreased to approximately 30% (12 of 37for onset at nine years of age20% (14 of 72for onset at 10; 14% (11 of 78) for onset at 11and less than 2(3 of 230for onset at 12 years or older.  

 

Among the 443 eligible participants 247 [55.8%] were female; the mean [SD] age at myopia onset was 11.7 years; and 54 (12.2%) developed high myopia (spherical equivalent −6.00 diopters or worse determined by cycloplegic refractions) in adulthood. 

 

The study was published in Jama Ophthalmology