Myopia in Singapore

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Br J Ophthalmol 2001;85:521–526

521

Myopia in Singapore: taking a public health approach Benjamin Seet, Tien Yin Wong, Donald T H Tan, Seang Mei Saw, Vivian Balakrishnan,
Lionel K H Lee, Arthur S M Lim

Defence Medical
Research Institute,
Singapore
B Seet
L K H Lee
Medical Classification
Centre, Singapore
Armed Forces,
Singapore
B Seet
Singapore National
Eye Center and
Singapore Eye
Research Institute,
Singapore
T Y Wong
D T H Tan
V Balakrishnan
A S M Lim
Department of
Ophthalmology,
National University of
Singapore, Singapore
T Y Wong
D T H Tan
V Balakrishnan
A S M Lim
Department of
Community,
Occupational and
Family Medicine,
National University of
Singapore, Singapore
S M Saw
Headquarters of the
Singapore Armed
Forces Medical Corps,
Singapore
L K H Lee
Correspondence to:
Tien Yin Wong, FRCS(Ed),
MPH, Department of
Ophthalmology, National
University of Singapore, 10
Kent Ridge Crescent,
Singapore 119260 [e-mail] Accepted for publication
4 January 2001

Myopia is a problem of public health concern in Singapore for three reasons. Firstly, the prevalence of myopia (more than −0.5 dioptres
(D)) is one of the highest worldwide. Twenty per cent of Singapore children are myopic at 7 years at the start of their primary education,1 with prevalence exceeding 70% upon completing college education.2–4 Other population based studies showed myopia prevalence of
15% in preschool 4 year old children,5 80% in military conscripts,6 and nearly 40% in adult
Chinese aged 40 and older.7 This is 1.5–3 times higher than similarly aged white or black populations in the United States,8–10 and elsewhere.11 12
Secondly, a large proportion of Singaporeans has high myopia (more than −6.0 D), which has been observed across the whole age spectrum.1 6 7 While the prevalence of high myopia is less than 2% in most Western populations,10