Original ArticleThe Increasing Burden of Myopia in Israel among Young Adults over a Generation: Analysis of Predisposing Factors
Section snippets
Methods
Israeli Defense Forces Medical Corps Institutional Review Board approval was obtained, and this research adhered to the tenets of the Declaration of Helsinki. The study relies on computerized anonymous database. No identifying information exists in the database that was used for analysis.
Results
The study population consisted of 104 689 young adults born between 1971 and 1994. The mean age was 17.4±0.6 years (median, 17.3 years; range, 16–19 years), and 58% were males. Myopia was detected in 24 431 participants (23.3%), comprising 12 267 myopic males (20.3%) and 12 164 myopic females (27.5%).
As shown in Figure 1 (Fig S1, available at www.aaojournal.org, for corresponding year-by-year data analysis), the prevalence of myopia increased steadily over a period of 24 years of birth—from
Discussion
This study assessed the prevalence of myopia as well as high myopia in young adults in northern Israel over a generation and identified associated factors and their influence over time using a large dataset. Uncorrected myopia is a leading cause of vision impairment worldwide and imparts an economic burden on the individual and the state, especially in low-income countries.2 High myopia significantly increases the risk of associated blinding ocular conditions. Hence, identifying such factors is
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Supplemental material available at www.aaojournal.org.
Financial Disclosure(s): The author(s) have no proprietary or commercial interest in any materials discussed in this article.
HUMAN SUBJECTS: Human subjects were not included in this study. It relies on a computerized database in which subjects could not be identified. No identifying information exists in the database that was used for analysis. The human ethics committees at the Israeli Defense Forces Medical Corps IRB/ethics committee approved the study. All research adhered to the tenets of the Declaration of Helsinki.
No animal subjects were included in this study.
Author Contributions:
Conception and design: Shapira, Mimouni, Machluf, Chaiter, Saab, Mezer
Analysis and interpretation: Shapira, Mimouni, Machluf, Chaiter, Saab, Mezer
Data collection: Machluf, Chaiter
Obtained funding: N/A
Overall responsibility: Shapira, Mimouni, Machluf, Chaiter, Saab, Mezer
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Both authors contributed equally as first authors.