New Eye Growth Charts Could Help Detect Childhood Myopia Risk Early

A recent study introduced new growth charts for children's eye development, similar to those used for tracking height and weight, to assist doctors in detecting early indicators of myopia risk.

Myopia is among the most common vision issues affecting children and adolescents globally. Its impact goes beyond the need for glasses, as it can be linked to serious complications that threaten eyesight later in life.

Researchers from the University of Western Australia led the study, explaining that myopia primarily results from an excessive elongation of the eyeball compared to the normal size, causing the eye to become slightly more elongated rather than round. This elongation weakens the eye's structure, increasing the likelihood of permanent complications in the future.

Dr. Gareth Lingham, a co-leader of the study from the University of Western Australia's Medical School and the Lions Eye Institute, as well as the Eye Research Centre at Technological University Dublin in Ireland, stated that an increase in eye length correlates with a higher risk of myopia-related problems.

He emphasized that monitoring eye growth is a crucial step toward improving myopia prevention and treatment. However, the absence of precise standards accounting for differences in age, gender, and geographic region has made it challenging to assess eye growth and identify children at higher risk early on.

The study's findings were published in JAMA Ophthalmology after the Consortium for Refractive Error and Myopia in Kids (CREAM-kids) analyzed approximately 560,000 eye measurements from 147,573 children and young people across Australia, Europe, and East Asia. The goal was to create the first percentile charts for eye length that consider age, gender, and region.

Professor David Mackey, a founding member of the consortium and a faculty member at the University of Western Australia's Medical School and Lions Eye Institute, explained that these charts resemble the growth tables used for monitoring children's development but focus specifically on tracking eye length progression.

He added that the new charts are not designed to directly diagnose myopia but help physicians determine if a child's eye growth is faster than average, compare it with peers, and assess the likelihood of future myopia risk.

Mackey also noted that families can take simple measures to reduce the risk of myopia, such as encouraging children to spend two hours daily outdoors.

He clarified that selecting appropriate times for outdoor activities, like winter, early morning, or late afternoon, can help minimize exposure to ultraviolet rays.