Effect of Parental Myopia on Change in Refraction in Shanghai Preschoolers: A 1-Year Prospective Study

Yingyan Ma; Senlin Lin; Jianfeng Zhu; Rong Zhao; Bo Zhang; Yao Yin; Yueqin Shao; Xiangui He; Xun Xu; Haidong Zou

doi:10.3389/fped.2022.864233

Effect of Parental Myopia on Change in Refraction in Shanghai Preschoolers: A 1-Year Prospective Study

Front Pediatr. 2022 Apr 25:10:864233. doi: 10.3389/fped.2022.864233. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Yingyan Ma^{1

2}, Senlin Lin¹, Jianfeng Zhu¹, Rong Zhao³, Bo Zhang¹, Yao Yin¹, Yueqin Shao⁴, Xiangui He¹, Xun Xu^{1

2}, Haidong Zou^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Preventative Ophthalmology, Shanghai Eye Disease Prevention and Treatment Center, Shanghai Eye Hospital, Shanghai, China.
² Department of Ophthalmology, Shanghai General Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.
³ Shanghai Shenkang Hospital Development Center, Shanghai, China.
⁴ Jiading Center for Disease Prevention and Control, Shanghai, China.

Abstract

Background: To investigate the risk factors for change in refraction and refractive components in preschoolers.

Methods: Preschool children aged 3-5 years old, from the junior and the middle grades of seven randomly selected kindergartens in Jia Ding District, Shanghai, were followed for 1 year. Cycloplegic autorefraction (1% cyclopentolate) and axial length (AL) were measured at baseline and at 1-year follow-up. Questionnaires about parental myopia and environmental risk factors, such as time of outdoors and near work, were collected.

Results: A total of 603 right eyes of 603 children were included. Parental myopia was not associated with a change in refraction, but two myopic parents were associated with a longer change in AL (coefficient = 0.153, p = 0.006), after adjusted for baseline spherical refraction, age, gender, change in height, change in weight, and environment risk factors. In the multivariate analyses, boys showed a more myopic refraction shift than girls in 1 year (coefficient = -0.150, p = 0.008) and a quicker AL elongation (coefficient = 0.120, p = 0.008). Time of near work, such as watching television, using computer, reading and writing, and time of outdoor activities, was not associated with a change in refraction or AL.

Conclusions: In preschool age, environmental risk factors were not strongly associated with the change in refraction or refractive components. Parental myopia influences the refractive development of children continuously from infancy to preschool age, which might be the biological basis of school myopia.

Keywords: axial length; outdoor activities; parental myopia; preschool children; refraction.