title: The age-specific prevalence of myopia in Asia: a meta-analysis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To estimate the age-specific prevalence of myopia in Asia.
  
  
  METHODS
  We searched PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science from their inception through September 2013 for population-based surveys reporting the prevalence of myopia in adults or children in Asia. We pooled the prevalence estimates for myopia by age groups and by year of birth using a random-effects model.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We identified 50 eligible population-based studies including 215,672 subjects aged 0 to 96 years reporting the prevalence of myopia from 16 Asian countries or regions. Myopia was found to be most prevalent (96.5%; 95% confidence interval, 96.3 to 96.8) in Koreans aged 19 years. There was no significant linear age group effect on the prevalence of myopia in the whole Asian population but there was a U-shaped relationship between both age and year of birth and the prevalence of myopia. The prevalence of myopia was also higher in those older than 70 years (36.3%; 95% confidence interval, 27.6 to 45.0) compared with other age groups, which revealed nuclear cataract-myopia shifts in refraction.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There is a large variation in the age-specific prevalence of myopia in Asia. A U-shaped relationship between age and the prevalence of myopia was found in the whole Asian population. The analysis is essential to guide future eye health care, intervention, and clinical management in Asia.
authors.affiliation: *MD, PhD †PhD ‡MPH, PhD Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Preventive and Translational Medicine for Geriatric Diseases, School of Public Health, Medical College of Soochow University, Suzhou, China (C-WP); Singapore Eye Research Institute, Singapore, Singapore (C-WP, C-YC, T-YW, S-MS); Centre for Eye Research Australia, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia (MD); and Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore (C-YC, T-YW, S-MS).
authors.forename: Chen-Wei
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Pan
authors.forename: Mohamed
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dirani
authors.forename: Ching-Yu
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.forename: Tien-Yin
authors.initials: TY
authors.lastname: Wong
authors.forename: Seang-Mei
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Saw
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001208:Asia / Q000453:epidemiology; D044466:Asian People / Q000208:ethnology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009216:Myopia / Q000208:ethnology*; D015995:Prevalence; D017678:Sex Distribution