Abstract
Purpose
To assess the prevalence of refractive errors, including myopia, high myopia, hyperopia, astigmatism, and anisometropia, in rural adult Koreans.
Methods
We identified 2027 residents aged 40 years or older in Namil-myeon, a rural town in central South Korea. Of 1928 eligible residents, 1532 subjects (79.5%) participated. Each subject underwent screening examinations including autorefractometry, corneal curvature measurement, and best-corrected visual acuity.
Results
Data from 1215 phakic right eyes were analyzed. The prevalence of myopia (spherical equivalent (SE) <−0.5 diopters (D)) was 20.5% (95% confidence interval (CI): 18.2−22.8%), of high myopia (SE <−6.0 D) was 1.0% (95% CI: 0.4−1.5%), of hyperopia (SE>+0.5 D) was 41.8% (95% CI: 38.9−44.4%), of astigmatism (cylinder <−0.5 D) was 63.7% (95% CI: 61.0−66.4%), and of anisometropia (difference in SE between eyes >1.0 D) was 13.8% (95% CI: 11.9−15.8%). Myopia prevalence decreased with age and tended to transition into hyperopia with age up to 60−69 years. In subjects older than this, the trend in SE refractive errors reversed with age. The prevalence of astigmatism and anisometropia increased consistently with age. The refractive status was not significantly different between males and females.
Conclusions
The prevalence of myopia and hyperopia in rural adult Koreans was similar to that of rural Chinese. The prevalence of high myopia was lower in this Korean sample than in other East Asian populations, and astigmatism was the most frequently occurring refractive error.
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Acknowledgements
This study was supported by Alcon Korea, Merck Korea, Pfizer Korea, Taejoon Pharmaceutical, Zeiss Korea, and the Korean Ophthalmological Society.
Statement about conformity with author information
The IRB approval was before the study began. The study protocol adhered to the tenets of the Declaration of Helsinki and the municipal law of the Province of Chungcheonganm-do and was approved by the ethics committee of Chungnam National University Hospital and registered on the website Clinical Trials.gov (registration number: NVT00727168). Written informed consent was obtained from all participants.
Author contributions
Design of the study (KHP, CYK, and TWK), conduct of the study (JMK, KHP, CYK, and TWK), collection, management, and analysis of the data (YCY and JMK), interpretation of the data (YCY, JMK, and KHP), preparation of manuscript (YCY), review of the manuscript (YCY and JMK).
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The authors have no proprietary or commercial interest in any of the materials discussed in the article.
Appendix
Appendix
The Namil Study Group, Korean Glaucoma Society:
Byung-Heon Ahn, MD, PhD, Department of Ophthalmology, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine
Myung Douk Ahn, MD, PhD, Department of Ophthalmology, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea
Nam Ho Baek, MD, PhD, Saevit Eye Hospital
Kyu-Ryong Choi, MD, PhD, Department of Ophthalmology, Ewha Womans University School of Medicine
Seung-Joo Ha, MD, Department of Ophthalmology, Soonchunhyang University, College of Medicine
Gyu-Heon Han, MD, PhD, Doctor Lee’s Eye Clinic
Young Jae Hong, MD, PhD, Nune Eye Hospital
Ja-Heon Kang, MD, PhD, Department of Ophthalmology, Kyung Hee University College of Medicine
Changwon Kee, MD, PhD, Department of Ophthalmology, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine
Hong-Seok Kee, MD, PhD, Leeyeon Eye Clinic
Chan Yun Kim, MD, PhD, Department of Ophthalmology, Yonsei University College of Medicine
Chang-Sik Kim, MD, PhD, Department of Ophthalmology, College of Medicine, Chungnam National University
Hwang-Ki Kim, MD, Department of Ophthalmology, Konyang University College of Medicine, Kim's Eye Hospital
Joon-Mo Kim, MD, Department of Ophthalmology, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Kangbuk Samsung Hospital
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Yoo, Y., Kim, J., Park, K. et al. Refractive errors in a rural Korean adult population: the Namil Study. Eye 27, 1368–1375 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/eye.2013.195
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/eye.2013.195
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