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Myopia and childhood migration: a study of 607,862 adolescents

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First Author: A.Peled ISRAEL

Co Author(s):    A. Afek   G. Twig   E. Pras   Y. Rotenstreich   E. Estela   B. Gordon     

Abstract Details

Purpose:

Immigrational studies can shed light on myopia development and reveal high-risk populations. To this end, we investigated the association between immigration, age at immigration, and myopia occurrence at adolescence.

Setting:

We analyzed cross sectional data on 607,862 adolescents, Israeli-born and immigrants, with origins in the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), Ethiopia or Israeli-natives, assessed for medical fitness for mandatory military service at age 17 years between 1993 and 2016.

Methods:

Myopia, based on right eye refractive data, was defined as -0.75 diopters myopia or worse in each principal meridian. High myopia was defined as -0.75 diopters myopia or worse in each principal meridian and a spherical equivalent of -6.00 D or worse, in the right eye. Age at immigration was categorized into 0-5, 6-11 and 12-19 years. Univariate and multivariable logistic regression models were made. Myopia odds ratios (ORs) were calculated according to immigrational status, with Israel-natives as controls. Next, myopia ORs were calculated according to age at immigration, with Israeli-born of same origin as controls.

Results:

Myopia was less prevalent among immigrants than among Israeli-natives. When stratified according to age at immigration, a decrease in myopia prevalence and ORs with increasing age at migration categories was observed, most prominent in immigrants arriving after age 11 years, who also had lower high myopia ORs. USSR and Ethiopian immigrants arriving after age 11 years had myopia OR of 0.65 (95% CI 0.63-0.67; p< 10-205) and 0.52 (95% CI 0.46-0.58; p<10-27) compared to the Israeli-born of same origin. Notably, Ethiopians arriving earlier than age 5 had a two-fold myopia OR than those migrating after age 11.

Conclusions:

Immigrants arriving after age 11 years had marked lower ORs for myopia and high myopia relative to the Israeli-born or to those arriving at early childhood, likely due to environmental and lifestyle changes. Differences between immigrants arriving until age 5 to those arriving between 6-11 years were relatively smaller, suggesting exposures at elementary-school age play a greater role in our population.

Financial Disclosure:

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