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[Sydney Myopia Study]
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Sydney Myopia Study
Recent data have suggested an increase in prevalence of myopia (short-sightedness) in many countries, particularly East Asia. The Sydney Myopia Study (SMS) aims to document the prevalence of myopia in a large, representative sample of Sydney school children aged 6 and 12 (school years 1 and 7).
The first phase of the SMS was completed during the period June 2003 to September 2004. We conducted comprehensive eye examinations of 1,740 6-year-old children attending Year 1 in 34 public/ private schools, with an overall response of 78.9%. The second phase exams of 12-year-old children attending Year 7 was completed in December 2005, and saw 2,353 children from 21 schools, an overall response of 75.3%.
We found that the prevalence of myopia in 6-year-old Australian children is very low by international standards for all the major ethnic groups (European Caucasian, East Asian and South Asian), but that children from those communities that place heavy emphasis on education, such as East Asian and South Asian, develop more myopia. The results suggest that the Australian environment and lifestyle may to some extent protect from myopia, but that environmental risk factors such as frequent near-work and education may still be operative. The SMS is examining the relationship between environmental risk and protective factors, which may identify modifiable risk factors that could reduce both the incidence and prevalence of myopia.
While myopia can be readily corrected optically or by surgical intervention, the public health costs imposed by myopia are considerable, running into hundreds of millions of dollars per year for spectacles, contact lenses and refractive surgery in Australia. Even greater public health costs are imposed because of recently confirmed higher risks of glaucoma and posterior subcapsular cataract associated with even low levels of myopia, and the well known risk of retinal detachment and macular degeneration, with resulting visual impairment, low vision and blindness associated with high myopia. Complications from use of contact lenses, such as eye infections and corneal scarring, impose a further burden. Community costs of myopia are likely to increase, as there is evidence that the prevalence of myopia is increasing worldwide largely as a result of changing natural patterns of visual input during development, associated with intensive education and urbanisation.
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