Risk Factors for High Myopia in Koreans: The Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey

ABSTRACT

Purpose: To investigate risk factors for high myopia in the general Korean population.

Methods: In this nationwide population study, the dataset of the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2008–2012 was analyzed. The study cohort included 11 703 participants, aged 25–49 years, who underwent neither refractive nor cataract surgery. The association between demographic, socioeconomic, behavioral, and systemic variables and high myopia was investigated.

Results: The mean participant age was 37.9 ± 6.8 years, and the prevalence of high myopia ≤−6.0D was 7.0 ± 0.3% in the study population. The right eyes (−1.76 ± 0.03 D) were more myopic than the left eyes (−1.70 ± 0.03 D; P < 0.001). In multivariate logistic regression analysis, high myopia was associated with age (odds ratio [OR], 0.97 per 1 year-increase) and female sex (OR, 1.24). Other identified risk factors included education level ≥ university graduation (OR, 1.91), the presence of hypertension (OR, 1.69), and serum glucose level (OR, 1.01 per 1 mg/dL). Sunlight exposure of ≥5 h/day (OR, 0.67) and serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D level (OR, 0.97 per 1 ng/mL) showed protective effect against high myopia.

Conclusion: High myopia is associated with younger age, female sex, high education level, longer sunlight exposure, and some other systemic conditions.

KEYWORDS:

• High myopia
• risk factor
• female predilection
• sunlight exposure
• vitamin D
• hypertension
• glucose

Acknowledgments

The authors appreciate the Epidemiologic Survey Committee of the Korean Ophthalmological Society for the dedication to designing and accomplishment of the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, acquisition and verification of the data, and opening of the data to the public.

Declaration of interest

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.

Presentation at any meeting

Not previously presented.

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported by Hallym University Research Fund 2015 (HURF-2015-17).