The Association between Myopia and Primary Open-Angle Glaucoma: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Previous studies identified myopia as a risk factor for primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG). However, recent studies have shown different results, and the definitive relationship between myopia and POAG remains controversial.

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between myopia and POAG.

Published articles were searched from PubMed, Embase, and Scopus databases between 1970 and 2020. A pooled analysis of the odds ratios (ORs) was performed using a random-effects model.

Data on the association between myopia and POAG were obtained from 16 cross-sectional studies, and the pooled OR was 2.26 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.77-2.89, p < 0.001) in random-effects model (I2 = 86%; p < 0.01). For the relationship of myopia and POAG progression, data from 7 longitudinal cohort studies were included, and the pooled OR was 0.85 (95% CI, 0.73-0.99, p = 0.042) in the random-effects model (I2 = 88%; p < 0.01).

Our findings demonstrated that myopia may be a risk factor associated with POAG and a possible protective factor for POAG progression. It may be due to myopia with the presence of a lamina cribrosa defect, slowing down the visual field loss and also POAG progression. Further research for underlying mechanisms is still needed.