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The Eye Diseases Prevalence Research Group^*

Arch Ophthalmol. 2004;122:495-505.

Objective  To estimate the prevalence of refractive errors in persons 40 years and older.

Methods  Counts of persons with phakic eyes with and without spherical equivalent refractive error in the worse eye of +3 diopters (D) or greater, –1 D or less, and –5 D or less were obtained from population-based eye surveys in strata of gender, race/ethnicity, and 5-year age intervals. Pooled age-, gender-, and race/ethnicity–specific rates for each refractive error were applied to the corresponding stratum-specific US, Western European, and Australian populations (years 2000 and projected 2020).

Results  Six studies provided data from 29 281 persons. In the US, Western European, and Australian year 2000 populations 40 years or older, the estimated crude prevalence for hyperopia of +3 D or greater was 9.9%, 11.6%, and 5.8%, respectively (11.8 million, 21.6 million, and 0.47 million persons). For myopia of –1 D or less, the estimated crude prevalence was 25.4%, 26.6%, and 16.4% (30.4 million, 49.6 million, and 1.3 million persons), respectively, of whom 4.5%, 4.6%, and 2.8% (5.3 million, 8.5 million, and 0.23 million persons), respectively, had myopia of –5 D or less. Projected prevalence rates in 2020 were similar.

Conclusions  Refractive errors affect approximately one third of persons 40 years or older in the United States and Western Europe, and one fifth of Australians in this age group.

^*The Writing Group members for the Eye Diseases Prevalence Research Group who had complete access to the raw data needed for this report and who bear authorship responsibility for this report are John H. Kempen, MD, PhD (Chairperson); Paul Mitchell, MD, PhD; Kristine E. Lee, MS; James M. Tielsch, PhD; Aimee T. Broman, MA; Hugh R. Taylor, MD; M. Kamran Ikram, MSc, MD; Nathan G. Congdon, MD, MPH; Benita J. O'Colmain, MPH; and David S. Friedman, MD, MPH. The Writing Group for this article has no relevant financial interest in this article.

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