The impact of parental myopia on refractive changes in Chinese children

To investigate the impact of parental myopia on refractive changes in Chinese young children over a 3-year cohort.

All data were collected in a prospective cohort study. Comprehensive eye examinations were conducted for all participants, including assessments of refraction, ocular biometry, and questionnaires. Parental refractive categories were classified based on both the severity of myopia and the number of myopic parents. A longitudinal analysis was carried out to evaluate the relationship between the children's refractive changes and parental myopia.

A total of 931 participants (484 boys and 447 girls) were followed annually over 3 years (mean baseline age: 4.21 ± 0.95 years). At baseline, participants' spherical equivalent refraction (SER) decreased and the prevalence of myopia increased significantly, with greater severity of parental myopia (all p < 0.0001). Over the 3-year observation period, greater severity of parental myopia was associated with lower SER, faster axial elongation, and increased axial length to corneal radius ratio in participating children. Participants with highly myopic mothers had a 12.69-fold higher risk of developing premyopia or myopia (p < 0.0001). Moreover, maternal high myopia had a more pronounced negative effect on the rate of SER decline compared to paternal high myopia (p < 0.05). Additionally, participants with highly myopic parents exhibited lower SER when their outdoor activity time was limited to 2 h or less (all p < 0.05).

Parental high myopia was associated with lower baseline SER, accelerated refractive changes, and higher myopia incidence. Maternal high myopia has a strong influence on SER decline and myopia risk in children. Children with highly myopic parents appear more susceptible to reduced refractive power under similar lifestyle conditions.