This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
Myopia associated with vitamin D deficiency, study finds
Young adults with myopia were found to have significantly lower levels of vitamin D, according to a study recently published in Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science.
The study included 946 participants who were enrolled in the 20-year follow-up of the Western Australian Pregnancy Cohort (Raine) Study between March 2010 and April 2012.
Participants were required to fill out a questionnaire regarding parental myopia, ethnicity and education. Yazar and colleagues conducted comprehensive eye exams, which included measuring postcycloplegic autorefraction with the Nidek ARK-510A autorefractor, as detailed in the study.
Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 (25(OH)D3) concentration, an indicator for vitamin D levels, was determined by a blood test.
Results showed that participants with myopia had significantly lower serum 25(OH)D3 concentrations than nonmyopic participants, at 67.6 nmol and 72.5 nmol, respectively.
"Findings from this study suggest that there could be a biological association between the risk of myopia and reduced 25(OH)D3 concentrations within different populations," the authors concluded. "However it is important to bear in mind that the 25(OH)D3 could be acting as a proxy for ocular sun exposure, with the latter the important factor. Therefore, future studies prospectively investigating the effects of 25(OH)D3 concentrations and ocular sun exposure in the development of refractive error are warranted."
Disclosure: None of the authors has any relevant financial disclosures.