Myopia progression similar among Hispanic, Black children, but other differences exist
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Key takeaways:
- There was no significant difference in prevalence or magnitude of myopia between groups.
- However, Hispanic children had greater prevalence and magnitude of astigmatism, and Black children had more anisometropia.
Although myopia progression among Hispanic and Black children was similar over 3 years, significant differences in the prevalence of astigmatism and anisometropia were reported between groups, according to researchers.
“Apart from the Collaborative Longitudinal Evaluation of Ethnicity and Refractive Error Study (CLEERE), few studies have investigated the longitudinal development of refractive error in Hispanic and Black children,” Yi Pang, OD, PhD, FAAO, from the Illinois College of Optometry, and colleagues wrote in Optometry and Vision Science. “Thus, it is important to investigate refractive errors longitudinally in Black and Hispanic children as myopia progression can lead to vision impairment and other eye-related health issues later in life.”
Pang and colleagues conducted a secondary analysis of data from a prospective cohort study of 5,497 Black and Hispanic children aged 15 years or younger, who were monitored for 3 years. The researchers included 485 participants (58% girls; mean age, 8.7 years), of whom 310 were Black and 175 were Hispanic, and measured cycloplegic refraction annually. They also calculated spherical equivalent and anisometropia and evaluated astigmatism over the 36-month study duration.
The prevalence of myopia at baseline was 39%, while the prevalence of emmetropia and hyperopia were 31% and 30%, respectively.
While prevalence of hyperopia was higher in Black children vs. Hispanic children (P = .008), prevalence of astigmatism and severe astigmatism were both significantly higher in Hispanic children (P < .001), as was the magnitude of severe astigmatism by an average of 0.55 D (P < .001). However, anisometropia prevalence was higher in Black children (P = .006).
At baseline, spherical equivalent was similar in both groups, but the magnitude of astigmatism was higher in Hispanic children. Over 36 months, there was no significant difference in change in spherical equivalent, with both groups demonstrating a reduction of 0.23 D per year.
There also was no significant difference in change of cylinder, with both groups showing increases of 0.02 D per year with age.
Further, while habitual visual acuity did not differ between groups, Hispanic children had better best corrected visual acuity, with statistical but not clinical significance.
“Future genetic or anatomical studies of ethnic differences in children might supply more insights into the reasons that Black children have more anisometropia and Hispanic children have more astigmatism,” Pang and colleagues wrote. “Additionally, these findings may reflect underlying disparities in access to eye care services and other social determinants of health.”
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