The Influence of Environmental Factors on the Prevalence of Myopia in Poland

PURPOSE: In the paper, we describe and discuss the results of epidemiological studies concerning myopia carried out in Poland. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Results from the examination of 5601 Polish school children and students (2688 boys and 2913 girls) aged 6 to 18 years were analyzed. The mean age was 11.9 ± 3.2 years. Every examined student had undergone the following examinations: distance visual acuity testing, cover test, anterior segment evaluation, and cycloplegic retinoscopy after instillation of 1% tropicamide, and a questionnaire was taken. RESULTS: We have found that (1) intensive near work (writing, reading, and working on a computer) leads to a higher prevalence of myopia, (2) watching television does not influence the prevalence of myopia, and (3) being outdoors decreases the prevalence of myopia. CONCLUSIONS: The results of our study point to insufficiency of accommodation contributing to the pathogenesis of myopia.