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Chinese children more prone to myopia

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Chinese children in Hong Kong have a higher prevalence of myopia than other ethnic groups, according to a study in local and international schools there. This finding further supports the idea that genes play a role in the development of myopia, the study’s authors said.

Carly Siu Yin Lam, PhD, MSc, MCOptom, FAAO, and colleagues attempted to investigate the genetic and environmental influences on myopia using vision screening results from local and international schools in Hong Kong. The students, between 13 and 15 years old, were drawn from local schools (289 students) and international schools (789 students).

Prevalence of myopia in the local schools ranged from 85% to 88%; in the international schools the prevalence ranged from 60% to 66%.

Students in the international schools were subdivided into those of Chinese origin, white, mixed Chinese and Asian. The prevalence of myopia was highest in the Chinese children (82.8%) and lowest in the white children (40.5%).

The study is published in the May issue of Optometry and Vision Science.