Age-related aspects of myopia incidence in the European North of Russia

INTRODUCTION: Identification of sensitive age periods connected with a significant increase in newly diagnosed myopia, especially of medium and high degrees, is important to clarify the timing of medical examination and prevention of complications of myopia, taking into account age and gender in the European North of Russia.

AIM: To analyze the primary incidence of myopia in the age-sex structure of the population of the Arkhangelsk region, with the degree of myopia taken into account, to identify age groups that are potentially in need of medical examination and prognosis of the course of myopia.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: The analysis of the primary incidence of myopia of the population in the Arkhangelsk region for 2009–2019 was conducted. The source of information was the medical records of patients receiving outpatient medical care (standardized form No. 025/у) in 14,288 patients and information on the number of diseases registered among patients living in the service area of a medical organization (standardized form No. 12).

RESULTS: The largest proportion of cases of newly diagnosed myopia among the child population in the Arkhangelsk region falls in the age range of 7–14 years. The prevalence of new cases of mild and moderate myopia was revealed in the age group of 10–14 years in girls (56.4% and 61.0%, respectively) and in boys (53.5% and 54.0%, respectively), with a high degree in the age group of 15–17 years old (51.5% for girls and 51.9% for boys). The largest proportion of people that were newly diagnosed with myopia as adults includes those at the age of 18–29 years, both in women (35%) and in men (59.9%). At the age of more than 60, myopia was detected in women two times more often (9.7%) than in men (4.6%).

CONCLUSION. Increased attention to the detection and prevention of myopia among the population of the Arkhangelsk region should be paid among children in the age groups of 10–14 and 15–17 years old, in men in the age group of 18–29 years old, and in women in the age group of 60 years old and older, where an increase in the proportion of people with newly diagnosed myopia is significant. Such age periods, with gender taken into account, can be considered sensitive to the manifestation of myopia.