Prevalence of Hyperopia and Associations with Eye Findings in 6- and 12-Year-Olds
Presented in part at: Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists Annual Congress Meeting, December 2006, Sydney, Australia.
Received 12 December 2006; received in revised form 15 April 2007; accepted 17 April 2007. published online 02 August 2007.
Purpose
To describe the prevalence of hyperopia and associated factors in a representative sample of Australian schoolchildren 6 and 12 years old.
Design
Population-based cross-sectional study.
Participants
Schoolchildren ages 6 (n = 1765) and 12 (n = 2353) from 55 randomly selected schools across Sydney.
Methods
Detailed eye examinations included cycloplegic autorefraction, ocular biometry, cover testing, and dilated fundus examination. Information on birth and medical history were obtained from a parent questionnaire.
Main Outcome Measures
Moderate hyperopia defined as spherical equivalent (SE) refraction of ≥+2.00 diopters (D), and eye conditions including amblyopia, strabismus, astigmatism, and anisometropia.
Results
Prevalences of moderate hyperopia among children ages 6 and 12 were 13.2% and 5.0%, respectively; it was more frequent in children of Caucasian ethnicity (15.7% and 6.8%, respectively) than in children of other ethnic groups. Compared with children without significant ametropia (−0.49 ≤ SE refraction ≤ +1.99 D), the prevalence of eye conditions including amblyopia, strabismus, abnormal convergence, and reduced stereoacuity was significantly greater in children with moderate hyperopia (all Ps < 0.01). Maternal smoking was significantly associated with moderate hyperopia among 6-year-olds (P = 0.03), but this association was borderline among 12-year-olds (P = 0.055). Early gestational age (<37 weeks) and low birth weight (<2500 g) were not statistically significant predictors of moderate hyperopia in childhood.
Conclusions
Moderate hyperopia was strongly associated with many common eye conditions, particularly amblyopia and strabismus, in older children. Birth parameters did not predict moderate hyperopia.
Available online: July 30, 2007.
1Department of Ophthalmology (Centre for Vision Research, Westmead Hospital), Westmead Millennium Institute, University of Sydney, and Vision Cooperative Research Centre, Sydney, Australia.
2School of Applied Vision Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
Correspondence and reprint requests to Prof Paul Mitchell, MD, PhD, Department of Ophthalmology, Centre for Vision Research, University of Sydney, Westmead Hospital, Hawkesbury Road, Westmead, NSW, Australia, 2145.
Manuscript no. 2006-1423.
Study supported by the National Health & Medical Research Council, Canberra, Australia (grant no. 253732), and Westmead Millennium Institute, University of Sydney.
There are no conflicting relationships for any author.
ABSTRACT