ArticleDeutsches Arzteblatt international2020
Prevalence and Time Trends in Myopia Among Children and Adolescents.
Article in Deutsches Arzteblatt international, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 45 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
45 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 63 citations in OpenAlex.
- Refractive Error Centile Curves for Asian and Western Children and Adolescents: An Individual Level Meta-Analysis.Investigative ophthalmology & visual science · 2025Pooled it
- Global prevalence of myopia in children using digital devices: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC pediatrics · 2025Pooled it
- Digital Screen Time and Myopia: A Systematic Review and Dose-Response Meta-Analysis.JAMA network open · 2025Pooled it
- The association between screen time exposure and myopia in children and adolescents: a meta-analysis.BMC public health · 2024Pooled it
- Regional variations and temporal trends of childhood myopia prevalence in Africa: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Ophthalmic & physiological optics : the journal of the British College of Ophthalmic Opticians (Optometrists) · 2022Pooled it
- Screen Time and Myopia-Related Outcomes in European Children: A Systematic Review.Vision (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- School and family based myopia education associations with myopia prevalence in Hefei high school students in the post-COVID-19 period.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- The longitudinal associations of reading, writing and screen time with myopia at age 9 years among children from the GUSTO birth cohort.Acta ophthalmologica · 2026Article
- The global landscape of myopia prevalence and its social determinants in children and adolescents: a cross-regional analysis.Frontiers in ophthalmology · 2026Article
- Temporal trends in refractive error among children and adolescents in Germany - a large-scale analysis of spectacle sales data from dispensing opticians from 2001 to 2025.Frontiers in public health · 2026Observational
- Prevalence and Risk Factors for Myopia in Primary School Children in Madrid: A School-Based Cycloplegic Refraction Study.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2025Article
- Optimizing myopia screening referral guidelines for children aged 4 to 18 based on non-cycloplegic indicators.BMC ophthalmology · 2025Article
- [Assessment of myopia progression].Die Ophthalmologie · 2025Review
- Risk Factors and Cumulative Risk of Comorbid Myopia and Obesity Among Children and Adolescents in Southern China: A Cross-Sectional Study.Health science reports · 2025Article
- Age and initial spherical equivalent influence the axial length elongation in children aged 9-17 years undergoing orthokeratology therapy.BMC ophthalmology · 2025Article
- Investigating the Trajectories of Poor Vision in Children and Adolescents in Wuhan, China From 2016 to 2019: Prospective Cohort Study.JMIR public health and surveillance · 2025Article
- Efficacy and safety of preservative-free anti-glaucomatous eye drops (dorzolamide/timolol) in ocular hypertension and/or glaucoma.International ophthalmology · 2025Article
- Comparison of myopia-related behaviors among Chinese school-aged children and associations with parental awareness of myopia control: a population-based, cross-sectional study.Frontiers in public health · 2025Article
- Analysis of factors influencing axial length changes in adolescents wearing corneal reshaping lenses.Arquivos brasileiros de oftalmologia · 2025Article
- Prevalence and risk factors of myopia among children and adolescents in Hangzhou.Scientific reports · 2024Article
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Authors and funding
7 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundMyopia (near-sightedness) is increasing worldwide, especially in Asia. The aim of this study was to describe trends in the prevalence of myopia in Germany.
methodsWe analyzed data from the German Health Interview and Examination Survey for Children and Adolescents (KiGGS; baseline survey 2003-2006, N = 17 640; wave 2, 2014-2017, N = 15 023). The presence of myopia was determined from a parent questionnaire and validated by the use of a visual aid. The population prevalence of myopia was calculated. Based on the KiGGS wave 2 data, potential risk factors for myopia were identified by means of logistic regression.
resultsThe prevalence of myopia at the age of 0-17 years in Germany was 11.6% (95% confidence interval [11.0; 12.2]) in the period 2003-2006 and 11.4% [10.7; 12.2] in 2014-2017. No age group of either sex exhibited a relevant, statistically significant change in the prevalence of myopia. In the adjusted model (adjusted for age, sex, family socioeconomic status, family history of migration), no association was found between myopia and use of digital media. More time spent reading books was associated with myopia: reading for more than 2 h/day showed an odds ratio of 1.69 [1.3; 2.2].
conclusionThe prevalence of myopia in children and adolescents in Germany has remained virtually unchanged over a period of approximately 10 years. Changes in media consumption, such as the increased use of smartphones in this age group, have therefore had no detectable impact on the development of myopia, at least not so far. Future studies should investigate the influences of further increases in media use and examine the long-term effects.
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