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Meta-Analysis
. 2015 Oct 20;10(10):e0140419.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0140419. eCollection 2015.

The Association between Near Work Activities and Myopia in Children-A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Hsiu-Mei Huang  1 , Dolly Shuo-Teh Chang  2 , Pei-Chang Wu  1
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

The Association between Near Work Activities and Myopia in Children-A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Hsiu-Mei Huang et al. PLoS One. .

Abstract

Myopia has a multifactorial etiology, although environmental factors are predominant in determining its current patterns. Currently, associations between near work activities and myopia have not been consistently observed. Therefore, we performed a systematic review to quantify the effect of near work activities on myopia in children. Relevant articles published between 1989 and 2014 were identified in MEDLINE, Embase, and the Cochrane Library, and the citation lists were reviewed. Twelve cohort studies and 15 cross-sectional studies were included (25,025 children aged between 6 and 18 years). The I2 statistic was used to assess heterogeneity. Study-level data were pooled using a random-effects model or a fixed-effects model (when less than 5 studies were included). We found that more time spent on near work activities was associated with higher odds of myopia (odds ratio [OR] = 1.14; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.08-1.20) and that the odds of myopia increased by 2% (OR:1.02; 95% CI = 1.01-1.03) for every one diopter-hour (hr) more of near work per week. Therefore, the development of a strategy to reduce the impact of near work on myopia would be important for preventing myopia in children.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1. Flow diagram outlining the selection process for the inclusion of studies in the systematic review and meta-analysis.
The electronic database searches identified 14,069 citations. After evaluating these citations and their bibliographies, 11 cross-sectional and 3 cohort studies met the inclusion criteria for quantitative analysis for this systemic review. From: Moher D, Liberati A, Tetzlaff J, Altman DG, The PRISAM Group (2009). Preferred Reporting ltems for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses: The PRISAM Statement. PloS Med 6(6): e1000097. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed1000097. For more information, visit www.prisma-statement.org.
Fig 2
Fig 2. Forest plot of studies reporting an association between near work and prevalence of myopia (odds ratio).
A pooled odds ratio of 1.14 (95% CI: 1.08–1.20) suggested that near work was associated with myopia.
Fig 3
Fig 3. Funnel plot with pseudo 95% confidence limits of studies reporting an association between near work and prevalence of myopia.
The funnel plot showed that the distribution of studies was asymmetrical compared to summary estimates.
Fig 4
Fig 4. Subgroup of studies reporting the association between near work (dichotomized) and prevalence of myopia (odds ratio).
A pooled odds ratio of 1.85 (95% CI: 1.31–2.62) indicated that children who performed more near work were more likely to be myopic.
Fig 5
Fig 5. Subgroup of studies reporting an association between near work (per diopter-hour/week) and prevalence of myopia (odds ratio).
In children, the odds of myopia increased by 2% (OR:1.02; 95% CI = 1.01–1.03; I 2 = 42.8%) for every one diopter-hour more of near work per week.
Fig 6
Fig 6. Forest plot of studies reporting an association between near work and the incidence of developing myopia (risk ratio, RR).
The incidence of myopia was not increased as children spent more diopter-hours performing near work activities (RR:1.00, 95% CI: 0.99–1.01).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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