NEW FINDINGS FROM OPHTHALMOLOGY, AJO, AND JAMA OPHTHALMOLOGY Ophthalmology Prevalence of Myopia in Europe

As educational levels rise in Europe, is the prevalence of myopia rising as well? Williams et al. investigated this question and found that myopia is indeed becoming more common among Europeans. However, higher education seems to be one of several factors contributing to the condition, rather than the sole cause. For this meta-analysis, the researchers evaluated 15 population-based cross-sectional studies from the European Eye Epidemiology Consortium. The studies were conducted between 1990 and 2013, and data were available for 61,946 participants aged 44 to 78. The results indicate that myopia is becoming more common across Western and Northern Europe, with a clear trend toward higher prevalence in younger participants. Education had a strong effect: Myopia was twice as common in those who had achieved higher educational levels than in those who left school before they turned 16. However, increasing levels of myopia were not explained by education alone, and other factors—such as increased computer time and longer school days with less time outside—may play a role, the authors noted.