Global, Regional, and National Burdens of Refraction Disorders in Children and Adolescents From 2010 to 2021.

Abstract

Objective: This analysis investigates the trends in prevalence and disability attributable to refractive disorders among children and adolescents worldwide from 2010 to 2021, using data from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2021 study.

Materials and methods: Data on prevalence and years lived with disability (YLDs) were extracted from the GBD 2021 repository. The sociodemographic index (SDI) was derived from World Bank datasets. Analytical methods included the Wilcoxon signed-rank test, Kruskal-Wallis test, and linear regression.

Results: Between 2010 and 2021, a modest global decline was observed in both the prevalence and YLD rates of refractive disorders, with estimated annual percentage changes (EAPCs) of -0.193 and -0.191, respectively. The burden was consistently greater in females compared to males. The most pronounced decrease occurred in the 15-19 age cohorts. Contrarily, an upward trend was noted in the majority of nations and regions. Tropical Latin America recorded the highest YLD rates, whereas East Asia experienced the most rapid increase. Regions with middle-high SDI demonstrated a significant rise in both prevalence and YLDs.

Conclusion: Although the global burden of refractive disorders diminished over the study period, especially among older adolescents, disparities persisted. Females carried a disproportionately higher burden, and middle-high SDI regions exhibited an increasing trend, underscoring the necessity for targeted public health strategies in vision care.