Change in myopia prevalence over 24 months in a school population from 6 to 13 years of age in Portugal

Abstract

There is a global concern with myopia onset and progression in children due to the potential of reaching higher levels in adulthood with direct implications on ocular morbidity and blindness. However, most studies in Europe cover older populations[1,2] and few cover younger populations[3]. Presently we do not have information about the prevalence of myopia and its progression in children and adolescents in Portugal for these age range[4]. The purpose of the present study was to know the progression patterns of refractive error in a population of young children aged 6 to 13 years of age in Portuguese population attending a school in a mixed urban and rural context.