Prevalence and risk factors for refractive errors in the Singapore Malay eye survey

Abstract

PURPOSE: To describe the prevalence and risk factors for myopia and other refractive errors in an urban Malay population in Singapore. DESIGN: Population-based, cross-sectional study. PARTICIPANTS: Persons of Malay ethnicity, between 40 and 80 years of age, living in Singapore. METHODS: Refractive error was determined by subjective refraction and if unavailable by autorefraction. Data were analyzed for 2974 adults without previous cataract surgery and who had right eye refraction data. Risk factor data, such as education levels and near work activity, were obtained from a face-to-face interview. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Myopia, defined as spherical equivalent (SE) refraction less than -0.5 dio..