Myopia prevalence in Malaysian children: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Myopia is a growing global concern, projected to affect nearly half the world's population by 2050. East and Southeast Asia face a disproportionate burden, with early-onset cases leading to severe complications in children. In Malaysia, epidemiological data on childhood myopia remain limited and inconsistent, hindering accurate burden estimation.

To systematically review and synthesize the prevalence of myopia among Malaysian children aged 4-18 years, providing national and subgroup-specific estimates.

A PRISMA-compliant search was conducted across five databases. Eligible studies included cross-sectional, cohort, or population-based designs published in English. Two reviewers independently screened and extracted data. A random-effects meta-analysis using the Freeman-Tukey double arcsine transformation pooled prevalence rates from 17 studies. Subgroup and sensitivity analyses explored heterogeneity by age, ethnicity, region, cycloplegia status, and diagnostic method. Publication bias was assessed via funnel plots, Egger's, Begg's, and trim-and-fill methods. Study quality was appraised using the JBI checklist.

Of 1,147 records, 21 studies were included in the synthesis, with 17 suitable for meta-analysis (n = 19,281). The unadjusted pooled prevalence of myopia was 25.0% (95% CI: 15.0-37.0%), with substantial heterogeneity (I² = 99.3%). Subgroup analysis showed that studies using non-cycloplegic refraction yielded a higher prevalence estimate than studies using cycloplegic refraction (31% versus approximately 16%). The trim-and-fill adjusted prevalence was 15.8%, suggesting that the unadjusted pooled estimate may overestimate clinically confirmed myopia prevalence because of non-standardised measurement methods, variable diagnostic thresholds ranging from ≤ - 0.25 D to ≤ - 1.00 D, and possible small-study or publication effects. Higher prevalence was also observed in older studies, smaller samples, and subjective methods, and increased with age and among Chinese children. Eight studies were high quality, eight moderate, and one low.

Childhood myopia represents an important public health concern in Malaysia. However, the magnitude of prevalence should be interpreted with caution because of high heterogeneity, variation in myopia definitions, and the predominance of non-cycloplegic measurement methods, all of which may cause the unadjusted estimate to overestimate clinically confirmed prevalence. Although the unadjusted pooled prevalence was 25.0%, the trim-and-fill adjusted estimate of 15.8% and the cycloplegic subgroup estimate of approximately 16% suggest that the clinically confirmed prevalence is likely to lie closer to the lower end of an approximate range of 16 to 25%. Future nationally representative studies using standardised cycloplegic refraction and consistent diagnostic criteria are needed to guide resource allocation, screening, and policy planning.

https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/view/CRD420251012425, CRD420251012425.