OBJECTIVE: To study the distribution of refractive errors among adults of European descent. DESIGN: Population-based eye study in Germany with 15010 participants aged 35-74 years. METHODS: The study participants underwent a detailed ophthalmic examination according to a standardised protocol. Refractive error was determined by an automatic refraction device (Humphrey HARK 599) without cycloplegia. Definitions for the analysis were myopia <-0.5 dioptres (D), hyperopia >+0.5 D, astigmatism >0.5 cylinder D and anisometropia >1.0 D difference in the spherical equivalent between the eyes. Exclusion criterion was previous cataract or refractive surgery. RESULTS: 13959 subjects were eligible. Refractive errors ranged from -21.5 to +13.88 D. Myopia was present in 35.1% of this study sample, hyperopia in 31.8%, astigmatism in 32.3% and anisometropia in 13.5%. The prevalence of myopia decreased, while the prevalence of hyperopia, astigmatism and anisometropia increased with age. 3.5% of the study sample had no refractive correction for their ametropia. CONCLUSIONS: Refractive errors affect the majority of the population. The Gutenberg Health Study sample contains more myopes than other study cohorts in adult populations. Our findings do not support the hypothesis of a generally lower prevalence of myopia among adults in Europe as compared with East Asia.
OBJECTIVE: To study the distribution of refractive errors among adults of European descent. DESIGN: Population-based eye study in Germany with 15010 participants aged 35-74 years. METHODS: The study participants underwent a detailed ophthalmic examination according to a standardised protocol. Refractive error was determined by an automatic refraction device (Humphrey HARK 599) without cycloplegia. Definitions for the analysis were myopia <-0.5 dioptres (D), hyperopia >+0.5 D, astigmatism >0.5 cylinder D and anisometropia >1.0 D difference in the spherical equivalent between the eyes. Exclusion criterion was previous cataract or refractive surgery. RESULTS: 13959 subjects were eligible. Refractive errors ranged from -21.5 to +13.88 D. Myopia was present in 35.1% of this study sample, hyperopia in 31.8%, astigmatism in 32.3% and anisometropia in 13.5%. The prevalence of myopia decreased, while the prevalence of hyperopia, astigmatism and anisometropia increased with age. 3.5% of the study sample had no refractive correction for their ametropia. CONCLUSIONS: Refractive errors affect the majority of the population. The Gutenberg Health Study sample contains more myopes than other study cohorts in adult populations. Our findings do not support the hypothesis of a generally lower prevalence of myopia among adults in Europe as compared with East Asia.
Authors: Alexander Karl-Georg Schuster; Norbert Pfeiffer; Andreas Schulz; René Hoehn; Katharina A Ponto; Philipp S Wild; Maria Blettner; Manfred E Beutel; Karl J Lackner; Thomas Münzel; Alireza Mirshahi Journal: Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol Date: 2017-08-19 Impact factor: 3.117
Authors: Christian Wolfram; Alexander K Schuster; Heike M Elflein; Stefan Nickels; Andreas Schulz; Philipp S Wild; Manfred E Beutel; Maria Blettner; Thomas Münzel; Karl J Lackner; Norbert Pfeiffer Journal: Dtsch Arztebl Int Date: 2019-04-26 Impact factor: 5.594
Authors: Sarah O'Connor; Esther Sh Kim; Ellen Brinza; Rocio Moran; Natalia Fendrikova-Mahlay; Kathy Wolski; Heather L Gornik Journal: Vasc Med Date: 2015-07-08 Impact factor: 3.239