Hypermetropia is not associated with hypertension: the Blue Mountains Eye Study.
OBJECTIVE
An association between hypermetropia and hypertension was recently reported. We sought to verify this finding in the Blue Mountains Eye Study cohort (n = 3654; ages 49 to 97 years).


METHODS
Cohort study.


METHODS
We defined hypermetropia as mean spheric equivalent refraction (SER) > 1.00 diopter, myopia as mean SER < -1.00 diopters, and emmetropia as mean SER < or = 1.00 diopters and > or = -1.00 diopters, inclusive. We used the 2003 World Health Organization/International Society of Hypertension guidelines to define severe hypertension as grade 2 or higher.


RESULTS
Of 1290 people who were at risk of the development of hypertension, 378 people developed incident severe hypertension after five years. The multivariate-adjusted relative risk of incident hypertension in persons with hypermetropia compared with those with emmetropia was 1.06 (95% CI, 0.89 to 1.26); the relative risk in persons with myopia was 1.22 (95% CI, 0.96 to 1.56).


CONCLUSIONS
Neither hypermetropia nor myopia was associated with incident hypertension in this older population.
Liew
Gerald
G
Centre for Vision Research, Department of Ophthalmology, Westmead Hospital, The Westmead Millennium Institute, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
Mitchell
Paul
P
Wong
Tien Yin
TY
Wang
Jie Jin
JJ
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001794:Blood Pressure; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006956:Hyperopia / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006973:Hypertension / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009517:New South Wales / Q000453:epidemiology; D012307:Risk Factors