CHICAGO Refractive errors (inability of the eye to focus properly) affect about one-third of people 40 years and older in the United States and Western Europe, and one-fifth of Australians 40 or older, according to an article in the April issue of The Archives of Ophthalmology, a theme issue on blindness, and one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

Refractive errors prevent the eyes from focusing correctly and cause blurry vision. Myopia (nearsightedness) and hyperopia (farsightedness) are examples of specific types of refractive errors. Usually, these errors can be easily corrected with glasses, contact lenses or refractive surgery. However, the high prevalence of refractive errors and the costs of correcting these errors make these conditions a substantial public health and economic problem in many parts of the world.

John H. Kempen, M.D., Ph.D., of the Wilmer Eye Institute at The Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, and a member of The Eye Diseases Prevalence Research Group, and colleagues pooled data from six studies with a combined total of 29,281 participants. The researchers applied the data from the six studies to population data for the year 2000 and projected population data for 2020 from the United States, Western Europe and Australia.

The researchers found the estimated crude prevalence for moderate hyperopia to severe hyperopia was:

• 9.9 percent (11.8 million people) for the United States
• 11.6 percent (21.6 million people) for Western Europe
• 5.8 percent (0.47 million people) for Australia

The estimated prevalence of myopia was:

• 25.4 percent (30.4 million people) for the United States; 4.5 percent of whom (5.3 million people) had more severe forms of myopia
• 26.6 percent (49.6 million people) for Western Europe; 4.6 percent of whom (8.5 million people) had more severe forms
• 16.4 percent (1.3 million people) for Australia; 2.8 percent of whom (0.23 mill
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Contact: John Lazarou
410-502-8902
JAMA and Archives Journals
12-Apr-2004


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