Glaucoma is a leading cause of preventable blindness worldwide and is characterized by irreversible optic nerve damage and progressive visual field (VF) loss.^1-3 Although patients with glaucoma usually have good visual acuity until the advanced stage of the disease, many have difficulties in daily life activities. These include reading difficulty, slower reading speed, driving cessation and limitations, bumping into objects, slower walking speed, and a high risk of falls.^4-8

Purpose: To investigate the annual incidence of myopia and associated factors among young schoolchildren in Taipei City. Methods: The Myopia Investigation Study in Taipei was a citywide, population-based cohort study. During the fall 2013 semester (baseline), a total of 11,590 grade 2 schoolchildren completed ocular examination and were included for further analysis. A parent-completed questionnaire was administered to collect data on risk factors for myopia development. Follow-up visits were arranged biannually over 3 years. The first-year results are reported here. Schoolchildren who were emmetropic/hyperopic at baseline and had myopia (spherical equivalent ≤ −0.5 diopters) in either eye at follow-up were identified as having incident myopia. Results: Among 7376 baseline nonmyopic participants, 6794 (92.1%) were examined during the first-year follow-up, and 1856 (25.2%) with incident myopia were identified. The incidence density of myopia was 31.7 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 30.6–32.8) per 100 person-years. Cox hazard proportional regression analysis revealed that participants who were emmetropic at baseline (hazards ratio [HR]: 19.37; 95% CI: 4.84–77.57), who had two myopic parents (HR: 1.21; 95% CI: 1.04–1.42), and who spent ≥5 hours every week on after-school tutoring programs (HR: 1.12; 95% CI: 1.02–1.22) had greater risk for incident myopia. By contrast, protective factors included suburban area of residence (HR: 0.91; 95% CI: 0.83–1.00) and spending ≥30 minutes outdoors after school every weekday (HR: 0.90; 95% CI: 0.82–0.99). Conclusions: This study provides population-based data on the annual incidence of myopia among Taiwanese schoolchildren, and found that baseline refractive status, parental myopia, area of residence, time outdoors after school on weekdays, and time spent on after-school tutoring programs are associated with risk of new-onset myopia.

Research from JAMA Ophthalmology — Factors Predicting Intraocular Pressure Control After Phacoemulsification in Angle-Closure Glaucoma