Prevalence of clinically significant refractive error in children in Europe: Systematic review and meta-analysis

Approximately 18% of European children have clinically significant refractive error, with myopia increasing with age and hyperopia decreasing. Myopia prevalence was highest in Russia, hyperopia in Denmark, and astigmatism in Northern Ireland. Further studies reporting cycloplegic prevalences with improved geographical representation and more granular reporting - particularly of astigmatism and its co-occurrence with other refractive errors are needed for better comparability and management of refractive errors in European children.