Myopia is a problem of public health concern in Singapore for three reasons. Firstly, the prevalence of myopia (more than −0.5 dioptres (D)) is one of the highest worldwide. Twenty per cent of Singapore children are myopic at 7 years at the start of their primary education, with prevalence exceeding 70% upon completing college education. Other population based studies showed myopia prevalence o...

PURPOSE To investigate the impact of a positive family history of high myopia on the level and onset of myopia and its ocular components. METHODS A cross-sectional study was conducted. The participants (aged 17 to 45 years) were categorized into four groups: normal, mild, moderate, and high myopia. The age of first glasses for myopia was used as the onset of myopia. The impact of the family h...

This is a review of the current literature describing the effect of atropine, bifocals, and/or contact lenses on slowing the progression of myopia. Cumulative data from a number of studies have demonstrated atropine instilled once a day in myopic eyes resulted in a 90% average reduction of myopia progression, as compared to untreated eyes, i.e., from 0.50 D/year to 0.05 D/year. Pirenzepine, a m...

Myopia is considered to be a leading cause of visual impairment. Furthermore, the prevalence of myopia in young adolescents has increased substantially over the past few decades. Although myopia was identified more than two thousands years ago, a consistently effective approach to myopia control for all patients still eludes clinicians. Among all the treatments mentioned in this review, the mos...

PURPOSE We sought to determine whether conjunctival ultraviolet autofluorescence (UVAF), a biomarker of outdoor light exposure, is associated with myopia. METHODS We performed a cross-sectional study on Norfolk Island and recruited individuals aged ≥ 15 years. Participants completed a sun-exposure questionnaire and underwent non-cycloplegic autorefraction. Conjunctival UVAF used a specially a...

PURPOSE To examine associations between myopia and measures of urbanization in a population-based sample of 12-year-old Australian children. METHODS Questionnaire data on sociodemographic and environmental factors including ethnicity, parental education, and time spent in near work and outdoor activities were collected from 2367 children (75.0% response) and their parents. Population density ...

OBJECTIVE To quantitatively assess the role of heredity and environmental factors in myopia based on the family with enough exposed to risk from myopic environment for establishment of environmental and genetic index (EGI). METHODS A pedigree analysis unit was defined as one child (university student), father, and mother. Information pertaining to visual acuity, experience in participating in...

Myopia has been investigated scientifically for over a century but the search for an effective remedy has been manifestly unsuccessful. The prevalence of myopia in developed societies has now risen to about 30% in USA (Vitale, Sperduto et al. 2009) and up to 70% in some Asian centres (Lin, Shih et al. 2004). In addition to the socio-economic burden of providing optical corrections for myopia, c...

AIM To report the usefulness of uncorrected distance visual acuity (DVA) at 16 years to "screen" for myopia status and to assess the lifetime risk of myopia, based on a national birth cohort. METHODS 1867 members of the 1958 British birth cohort for whom there were data on acuity at 16 years had autorefraction, as part of a biomedical survey, at 45 years. Reduced uncorrected DVA at age 16 yea...