Child Myopia Prevalence in Europe: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background/Objectives: Information regarding the current myopia prevalence in children is limited. The aim of this study was to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis to determine the prevalence of myopia in European children. Methods: A systematic review followed by a meta-analysis of relevant epidemiological studies published in the literature in children up to 18 years of age was performed. Web of Science, EMBASE and Scopus were searched from 2002 to 2022. Results: Of the 611 articles selected, 13 were included in the meta-analysis from 9 European countries with a sample size of 78,274 children, with a mean age of 8.2 years. The results suggested a trend of increasing myopia prevalence with age in most countries. France presented the highest myopia prevalence (19%) in children aged 9 years, while Denmark presented the lowest (0%) in children aged 4.5-7 years. Heterogeneity analysis indicated high heterogeneity (I2 99.32%), suggesting significant variance in effect sizes among studies, with moderate dispersion (Tau 0.035) and a heterogeneity ratio H2 = 147.93. Egger's test revealed funnel plot asymmetry (Z = 2.880, p = 0.004), while Kendall's Tau (0.324, p = 0.076) was not statistically significant. The random-effect model estimated a combined weighted prevalence of myopia at 7.15% (95% CI: 4.3-10.0%), based on 78,274 participants. Conclusions: This meta-analysis provides comprehensive overview and current evidence on the prevalence of myopia in European children.