Myopia in neurofibromatosis type 1

We studied the prevalence of myopia in 17-year-old Israeli military recruits with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1). Twenty-four percent of the youngsters with neurofibromatosis had myopia, compared to 19% of the controls; this difference was statistically significant (P < 0.03). The recruits with NF1 had a slightly lower IQ, fewer years of education, and lower height and weight than the controls. Thus, these factors, which have been reported to be associated with myopia, did not significantly influence the high prevalence of myopia in the neurofibromatosis subjects. A high prevalence of myopia seems to be an additional feature of NF1.