Increasing burden of visual impairment over 10 years in highly myopic patients

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A new study of children and adults in China that investigated the effects of progression of myopia found that over the course of 10 years the best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and the visual function decreased, with an increasing incidence rate of moderate and severe visual impairment.¹ First author Yanping Chen, MD, from the State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Ocular Diseases, Guangzhou, China, reported the results.

Chen and colleagues conducted a longitudinal study the included patients with high myopia who were followed for 10 years. Detailed ophthalmic examinations were conducted at the baseline and follow-up visits that included measurements of the BCVA and visual fields in 568 eyes of 284 patients.

The mean baseline age was 22.49 ± 13.07 years, spherical equivalent refraction (SER) −9.72 ± 3.02 diopters, and axial length 27.39 ± 1.53 mm.

Chen and colleagues found the following changes over a 10 year period: the mean BCVA loss was −0.06 logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.05−0.07); the mean change rates in the mean deviation and pattern standard deviation were −0.07 decibel (dB)/year (95% CI, −0.08 to −0.06) and 0.036 dB/year (95% CI, 0.028 to 0.044), respectively; and the 10-year incidence rates of monocular moderate and severe visual impairment were 3.52% (95% CI, 2.16%–5.39%) and 6.35% (95% CI, 4.46%–8.72%), respectively.

The authors concluded, “In a highly myopic population, both the BCVA and visual fields deteriorated over time, with an increasing incidence of moderate and severe visual impairment. Raising public awareness of visual risks linked to high myopia and implementing strategies to reduce the burden in high-risk individuals are essential.”

Reference

Chen Y, Xiong R, Zhang J, et al. Ten-year change in visual function and incidence of visual impairment in highly myopic children and adults. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2025; 66; doi:https://doi.org/10.1167/iovs.66.1.2