Study of the New Medical School of Lisbon reveals the spare of myopia in Europe.
A new study led by researchers from the Nova Medical School, from Lisbon, reveals that the miopia It has been consistently overwhelmed in Europe due to poorly rigorous diagnostic methods.
Aggregate analysis of data from 14 European countries (group of which Portugal was not part) indicates an average prevalence of myopia of 23,5%. However, this low number to 18,9% When only studies are considered to resort to cycloplegic refraction (CR) – an eye examination that blocks the accommodation of the eye, crucial for reliable diagnoses, especially in children.
The investigation, published in The Lancet Regional Health – Europe and coordinated by André Rosarioteacher and researcher at the new medical school and the Comprehensive Health Research Center (CHRC), also reveals Great disparities between countrieswith prevalences ranging from 11.9% in Finland and 49.7% in Sweden.
“Our study shows that myopia is consistently overwhelmed in Europe when strict methods such as cycloplegic refraction are not used,” explains Rosario Em. “This has serious implications for public policy design, especially if based on inflated data,” he adds.
Portugal was left out of the analysis because it has no representative samplesself-reported or based only on visual acuity. And that’s worrying, warns the investigator.
“It is urgent to reinforce national investigation in this area and align methodologies with international standards. Without this, the data do not reflect reality and are of little use to strategic health planning. We need longitudinal, methodologically robust studies, using the cycloplegic refraction, with greater geographical coverage and age segmentation.”
In addition to being a visual condition, myopia is associated with serious eye diseases and even insanitywhich reinforces the importance of early detection and proper follow -up.
Current projections indicate that nearly half of the world’s population could suffer from myopia by 2050.
