Pre-Myopic Children: Trends in Myopia Development and Management in Canada

Background/Objectives: Given the growing prevalence of myopia worldwide, prevention and proactive management of at-risk children becomes increasingly important. This study sought to evaluate trends in myopia development in pediatric pre-myopic patients and determine how optometrists in Canada manage pre-myopia. Methods: In this retrospective chart review, records for children aged 6-10 years who had an eye exam between 2017 and 2021 were reviewed. Pre-myopic children were included if the presenting refraction at the first visit was between +0.75D and -0.25D (inclusive). Up to five unique patients were selected for each age (6, 7, 8, 9, and 10) and initial visit year (2017 to 2021) at each clinical site. Demographic information, refractive status and recommended interventions were recorded. Results: A total of 1740 pre-myopic patients were included across 15 practices in Ontario, of which 184 patients developed myopia (10.6%) during the years studied. Cohort year groups did not differ in baseline age (mean ± SD 8.39 ± 1.43 years) or baseline refractive error (+0.13 ± 0.27 DS). At initial encounters, most clinicians monitored without intervention (mean across cohort years 91.9%), with some recommending lifestyle changes (3.5%) and SV spectacles/CL (3.0%). This pattern remained stable over the years studied. Pre-myopic children developed myopia at a similar age over the study period (mean ± SE: 9.66 ± 0.16 years) and experienced a faster rate of loss of hyperopic reserve (loss of -0.26 ± 0.07 D/year in the 2017 cohort vs. -0.73 ± 0.18 D/year in the 2020 cohort and -0.71 ± 0.10 D/year in the 2021 cohort) regardless of patient age. Conclusions: Pre-myopic children in the 2020 and 2021 cohort years experienced an accelerated loss of hyperopic reserve compared to those in the 2017 cohort. Despite this, very few pre-myopic children were recommended lifestyle changes, which were known to be effective for delaying myopia onset. Since delaying myopia onset may be more impactful than subsequent myopia treatment, additional research should focus on effective interventions for the pre-myopic population.