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A 6-year longitudinal optometric study of the refractive trend in school-aged children
1Optometric Research, Higham Ferrers, Northants, UK.
Insights
Most children aged 7-13 showed a trend towards myopia, with prevalence rising significantly over six years. Annual optometric check-ups are crucial for early detection of myopia in children.
Area of Science:
- Optometry and Vision Science
- Pediatric Ophthalmology
- Refractive Error Research
Background:
- Annual refractive data from 41 optometric patients aged 7-13 years were analyzed.
- Longitudinal study tracking refractive changes over a 6-year period.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze refractive trends in children from age 7 to 13.
- To determine the incidence and prevalence of myopia in a pediatric optometric population.
- To compare myopia progression rates in a clinical setting versus the general population.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal analysis of annual refractive data.
- Calculation of mean rate of refractive change (Diopters per year).
- Determination of annual myopic incidence and prevalence rates.
Main Results:
- A declining hyperopic/increasing myopic trend observed in 73% of participants.
- Mean rate of refractive change was -0.09 Diopters per year.
- Myopic prevalence increased from 5% to nearly 40% over 6 years, with annual incidence between 3.5-12%.
Conclusions:
- Children classified as emmetropic at age 7 showed a significant increase in myopia by age 13.
- The rate of myopic prevalence increase in this clinical population is approximately double that of the general population.
- Annual optometric examinations are essential for early detection and management of emerging myopia in children.
Abstract:
This report describes the analysis of the refractive data of optometric patients examined annually between the ages of 7 and 13 years. The results indicate a declining hypermetropic/increasing myopic refractive trend in 73% of the 41 individuals who attended over the entire 6 years of the investigation: overall, there was a mean rate of change of -0.09 D pa. Annual myopic incidence values of between 3.5 and 12% were found, resulting in a rise in myopic prevalence in this clinical population from 5 to nearly 40% over the course of the study. For the refractive classification adopted here, the juvenile myopic patients emerged from a pool of previously emmetropic subjects: the proportion of hypermetropic patients remained approximately stable over the 6 years reviewed. The age-related annual rates of myopic prevalence are approximately a factor of two greater in this self-selected clinical population compared to those reported for investigations in a general population. The inference is that children who were classed as emmetropic at age 7 should continue to be reviewed annually by the optometrist who should be alert to the possibility of clinically significant degrees of myopia emerging later.