Racial and Ethnic Differences in the Roles of Myopia and Ocular Biometrics as Risk Factors for Primary Open-Angle...

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Epidemiology
• Genetics

Background:

• Primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) is a leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide.
• Refractive error (RE) and ocular biometrics, such as axial length (AL), are established risk factors for POAG.
• Understanding how these risk factors vary across different racial and ethnic groups is crucial for targeted prevention and management strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the differential roles of refractive error and ocular biometrics as risk factors for primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) across diverse racial and ethnic populations.
• To assess the effect modification of the association between POAG and its risk factors by race and ethnicity.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of population-based data from the Los Angeles Latino Eye Study (LALES) and the Chinese American Eye Study (CHES).
• Inclusion of 7601 phakic participants aged 50 years and older.
• Application of multivariable logistic regression and interaction term analyses to evaluate relationships between POAG, RE, AL, and race/ethnicity.

Main Results:

• POAG prevalence was higher in Latino Americans (6.0%) compared to Chinese Americans (4.0%).
• Significant risk factors for POAG included Latino ethnicity, increasing myopia (RE), and longer axial length (AL).
• Axial length demonstrated a stronger association with POAG than high myopia; no significant race/ethnicity modification was observed for RE or AL associations with POAG.

Conclusions:

• While the risk of POAG associated with myopic RE and longer AL is comparable between Latino and Chinese Americans, higher myopia prevalence in Chinese Americans partially offsets this difference in overall POAG prevalence.
• The global myopia epidemic may lead to a disproportionate increase in POAG cases among racial/ethnic groups with higher myopia incidence.