Study examines prevalence of myopia in children

A study published in the journal Eye sheds light on the prevalence of myopia in Canadian children. Findings in Myopia Prevalence in Canadian School Children: a Pilot Study indicated that while the rate of myopia was 6% in children aged 6-8, it increased to 28.9% in children aged 11-13. For one additional hour spent outdoors each week, the odds of being myopic were lowered by 14.3%. The study also found that children with at least one myopic parent were 2.52 times more likely to be myopic as well. The study, the first of its kind in Canada, was conducted by the Centre for Ocular Research & Education (CORE), the University of Waterloo’s School of Optometry & Vision Science and the Canadian National Institute for the Blind. “Myopia is receiving significant attention from the eye health community worldwide, as incidence rates continue to climb among children at a startling pace,” said Mike Yang, OD, the paper’s lead investigator and a clinical associate at CORE. “Our research—the first non-clinical-practice-based epidemiological survey of myopia prevalence in Canada—paints a troubling picture, yet also shows the beneficial impact of outdoor time. We believe it adds meaningful, objective, and actionable knowledge to the research and clinical communities, as more efforts are placed against overcoming this critical and ever-growing problem.”