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  • Myopia Rate Increasing in Taiwanese Children

    By Lynda Seminara
    Selected By: Stephen D. McLeod, MD
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    Journal Highlights

    Ophthalmology, February 2021

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    Tsai et al. analyzed population-based data to better understand myopia rates among schoolchildren in Taiwan. They found that myopia prevalence has risen rapidly in this group since 1983. Major risk factors are older age and heavy involvement in near-work activities.

    For this study, the authors looked at findings of eight population-based surveys on myopia that were conducted from 1983 through 2017 in children be­tween the ages of 3 and 18. The number of participants per survey ranged from 5,019 to 11,656. Comprehensive oph­thalmic evaluations were performed, and tropicamide 0.5% was applied to obtain cycloplegic refractive status. My­opia and high myopia were defined as spherical equivalents at or below –0.25 D and –6.0 D, respectively. Multivariate analyses were used to determine risk factors.

    Results showed that myopia prevalence climbed steadily in all age groups during the study period. For example, the weighted prevalence rose from 5.37% to 25.41% among 7-year-olds and from 30.66% to 76.67% for 12-year-olds during this period (p = .001 for both trends). The prevalence of high myopia grew from 1.39% to 4.26% among 12-year-olds (p = .008) and from 4.37% to 15.36% among 15-year-olds (p = .039). In the 2005 and 2016 population surveys, children who spent <180 minutes/day on near work were less likely to develop myopia. The 2016 data showed that spending more than one hour a day on electronic devices increased the likelihood of myopia and high myopia (OR, 2.43 and 2.31).

    The authors noted that their defini­tion of myopia and choice of cyclople­gic agent may have contributed to the relatively high prevalence of myopia in their study, especially in the assessment of the young­est children. Other experts reported that up to four drops of 1% cyclopentolate may be needed to accurately measure refractive error in some young children. These issues require explo­ration in carefully designed multicenter studies, said the authors. They recommend that eye care specialists and policymakers be cognizant of the increase in near-work time that stems from greater use of electronic devices.

    The original article can be found here.