title: Rationale, design, and demographic characteristics of the Handan Offspring Myopia Study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The Handan Offspring Myopia Study (HOMS) aims to investigate the familial associations of myopia between parents and their offspring.
  
  
  METHODS
  Children aged 6-18 years, residing in 6 villages where all people aged ≥30 years had participated in The Handan Eye Study in 2006-2007, were selected for the current eye study between March and June 2010. A mobile clinic was set up in the 6 villages for comprehensive eye examinations, including visual acuity, ocular biometry, cycloplegic autorefraction and retinal photography.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of 1238 eligible individuals, 878 children (70.2%; 52.6% male) from 541 families were recruited. Mean age of the children was 10.5 ± 2.5 years. The prevalence of myopia (spherical equivalent refraction <-0.5 diopter) was 23.5% (males 16.8%, females 30.8%). The prevalence of low vision (presenting visual acuity ≥20/400 but <20/60) in the better eye was 7.1%. A higher number of females had low vision at the time of presentation (9.2%) compared to males (5.2%, p = 0.02). The prevalence of low vision in the worse eye was 10.6% (males 6.7%, females 14.9%, p < 0.001). The majority of visual impairment in the better-seeing (56/62, 90.3%) as well as the worse-seeing (84/93, 90.3%) eye was correctable.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The HOMS examined about 70% of eligible Han Chinese offspring of Handan Eye Study participants in a rural region of northern China. Results from the HOMS will provide key information about the prevalence of refractive errors and eye diseases in rural Chinese children.
authors.affiliation: Handan Eye Hospital , Handan, Hebei Province , China .
authors.forename: Tie Ying
authors.initials: TY
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: Peng
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Zhong
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Vishal
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Jhanji
authors.forename: Yi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Peng
authors.forename: Zhen Wu
authors.initials: ZW
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Lan Ping
authors.initials: LP
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: Ning Li
authors.initials: NL
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Yuan Bo
authors.initials: YB
authors.lastname: Liang
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D017677:Age Distribution; D002648:Child; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D003710:Demography; D005190:Family; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009184:Mydriatics / Q000008:administration & dosage; D009216:Myopia / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000235:genetics; D015995:Prevalence; D012029:Refraction, Ocular; D012107:Research Design; D012424:Rural Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D017678:Sex Distribution; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014787:Vision Tests; D015354:Vision, Low / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000235:genetics; D014792:Visual Acuity
chemical_list: D009184:Mydriatics