title: Does education explain ethnic differences in myopia prevalence? A population-based study of young adult males in Singapore.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study interethnic variation in myopia prevalence and severity in young adult males in Singapore and to determine whether these variations are related to differences in education level.
  
  
  METHODS
  A population-based survey of refractive errors in a cohort of 15,095 military conscripts between July 1996 and June 1997 using noncycloplegic autorefraction and a standard questionnaire. Prevalence rates of myopia (<-0.5 D) and severe myopia (<-6.0 D) were determined for Chinese, Malay, and Indian men; prevalence rate ratios were compared after adjusting for education level.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Singapore has one of the highest prevalences of myopia (79.3%) and severe myopia (13.1%), with Chinese having higher rates (82.2%, 95% confidence interval 81.5, 82.9) compared with Indians (68.7%, 95% confidence interval 65.1, 67.1) and Malays (65.0%, 95% confidence interval 62.9, 67.1). Education was strongly associated with prevalence and severity of myopia. However, significant interethnic variation persisted after adjusting for education.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There is a high prevalence of myopia in Singapore. Although prevalence and severity of myopia were strongly associated with education, interethnic variation observed was not fully explained by differences in education level.
authors.affiliation: Defence Medical Research Institute, Singapore. nmiv14@nus.edu.sg
authors.forename: H M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Seet
authors.forename: E P
authors.initials: EP
authors.lastname: Yap
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Saw
authors.forename: T H
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Lim
authors.forename: K S
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Chia
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002681:China / Q000208:ethnology; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004522:Educational Status; D005006:Ethnicity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007194:India / Q000208:ethnology; D008296:Malaysia / Q000208:ethnology; D008297:Male; D009216:Myopia / Q000208:ethnology*; D015995:Prevalence; D012029:Refraction, Ocular; D012846:Singapore / Q000453:epidemiology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires