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. 2022 Mar 19:12:11003.
doi: 10.7189/jogh.12.11003. eCollection 2022.

Healthcare utilization and economic burden of myopia in urban China: A nationwide cost-of-illness study

Yingyan Ma #  1   2 , Yuechun Wen #  3 , Hua Zhong  4 , Senlin Lin #  1 , Li Liang  3 , Yifang Yang  4 , Huifen Jiang  5 , Jian Chen  6 , Yan Huang  7 , Xiaohua Ying  8 , Serge Resnikoff  9   10 , Lina Lu  1   2 , Jianfeng Zhu  1   2 , Xun Xu  1   2 , Xiangui He  1   2 , Haidong Zou  1   2
Affiliations

Healthcare utilization and economic burden of myopia in urban China: A nationwide cost-of-illness study

Yingyan Ma et al. J Glob Health. .

Abstract

Background: China contributes to a significant proportion of the myopia in the world. The study aims to investigate the utilization of various correction methods and health service in urban China, and to estimate the cost of myopia treatment and prevention. In addition, we aimed to estimate the cost of productivity loss due to myopia.

Methods: The study was a cross-sectional investigation carried out in urban areas in three provinces located in the east (Shanghai), middle (Anhui) and west part (Yunnan) of China, in 2016. A total of 23819 people aged between 5 to 50 years were included. Health utilization and the cost of myopia were analyzed from patients' perspective.

Results: The total number of people with myopia in the urban China was estimated to be 143.6 million. The correction rate was 89.5%, 92.1%, and 92.7% for Anhui, Shanghai, and Yunnan (χ2 = 19.5, P < 0.01). Over the recent year, 20.6%, 16.8%, and 28.8% of myopic subjects visited hospital due to myopia, in Anhui, Shanghai and Yunnan. The annual cost of treatment and prevention of myopia was 10.1 billion US dollar (US$, floating from 9.2 to 11.2 billion US$), and the cost per person was 69US$. The annual cost of loss of productivity was estimated to be 6.7 billion US$ for those with mild to moderate visual impairment (floating from 6.1 to 7.4 billion US$), and 9.4 billion US$ (floating from 8.5 to 10.4 billion US$) for those with severe visual impairment to blindness. Therefore, the total economic burden of myopia was estimated as 173.6 billion CNY (26.3 billion US$).

Conclusions: The present study shows that myopia leads to substantial economic burden in China. The loss of productivity caused by myopia is an important part of the disease burden compared to the cost of correction and treatment paid by individuals. Therefore, the focus of myopia prevention and control should be to decrease the myopia prevalence, and prevent the uncorrected refractive errors and the irreversible damage of visual acuity by high myopia.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing interests: The authors completed the ICMJE Declaration of Interest Form (available upon request from the corresponding author), and declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Spectacles and contact lenses utilization in three provinces. Panel A. Spectacles utilization rate in three provinces. Panel B. Orthokeratology or RGP utilization rate in three provinces. Panel C. Soft contact lenses utilization rate in three provinces.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Proportion of visual impairment in Anhui, Shanghai and Yunnan. Panel A. Proportion of visual impairment in Anhui. Panel B. Proportion of visual impairment in Shanghai. Panel C. Proportion of visual impairment in Yunnan.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Composition of economic burden of myopia in urban China.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Sensitivity analyses of the economic burden of myopia in urban China.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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