The Impact of Hyperopia on Academic Performance Among Children: A Systematic Review

Purpose:

To assess the impact of uncorrected hyperopia and hyperopic spectacle correction on children's academic performance.

Design:

Systematic review and meta-analysis.

Methods:

We searched 9 electronic databases from inception to July 26, 2021, for studies assessing associations between hyperopia and academic performance. There were no restrictions on language, publication date, or geographic location. A quality checklist was applied. Random-effects models estimated pooled effect size as a standardized mean difference (SMD) in 4 outcome domains: cognitive skills, educational performance, reading skills, and reading speed. (PROSPERO registration: CRD-42021268972).

Results:

Twenty-five studies (21 observational and 4 interventional) out of 3415 met the inclusion criteria. No full-scale randomized trials were identified. Meta-analyses of the 5 studies revealed a small but significant adverse effect on educational performance in uncorrected hyperopic compared to emmetropic children {SMD −0.18 [95% confidence interval (CI), −0.27 to −0.09]; P 

Source: Asia-Pacific Journal of Ophthalmology - January 1, 2022 Category: Opthalmology Tags: Review Article Source Type: research