why choose us

300×250 Ad Slot

Research Article: Prevalence, vector evolution, and visual impact of astigmatism: a large-scale study of 79,066 children in Beijing, China

Date Published: 2026-05-11

Abstract:
Astigmatism is highly prevalent among school-aged children. This study aimed to evaluate the epidemiological distribution of astigmatism in a large-scale Chinese pediatric population and investigate the independent and interactive impacts of astigmatism magnitude and axis on uncorrected visual acuity (UCVA). This school-based, cross-sectional study conducted in Tongzhou District, Beijing, included 79,066 students aged 6 to 20 years (mean age: 11.35 ± 3.23 years). Participants underwent standardized non-cycloplegic autorefraction and UCVA assessment. Astigmatism was quantified by cylinder power and decomposed into Thibos vector components ( J 0 , J 45 ). Generalized linear models (GLMs) were utilized to determine the independent association between astigmatism axis and visual function, adjusting for spherical power and astigmatism magnitude. The overall prevalence of astigmatism was 43.6%, pre-dominantly characterized by mild severity and the with-the-rule (WTR) subtype (82.9%). Both prevalence and severity increased progressively with advancing educational stages. Crucially, multivariate analysis revealed that after adjusting for spherical equivalent ( SE ), advancing grade was independently associated with a slight against-the-rule (ATR) and oblique shift. Furthermore, males exhibited a higher susceptibility to the WTR orientation, whereas females were more prone to ATR and oblique. Regarding visual performance, astigmatism magnitude significantly degraded UCVA in non-myopic and low-myopic eyes, but this effect was saturated and masked in moderate-to-high myopia. Although the WTR axis was associated with a statistically worse UCVA compared to oblique subtypes, the absolute difference was clinically negligible, likely reflecting statistical amplification within this mega-cohort. WTR is the pre-dominant astigmatism subtype in school-aged children, propelled by the concurrent myopization process. While the magnitude of astigmatism profoundly impairs UCVA—heavily modulated by the concurrent SE —the functional impact of axis orientation remains clinically insignificant. These findings suggest that targeted monitoring and correction strategies may benefit from being tailored to specific genders and refractive profiles.

Introduction:
Astigmatism is highly prevalent among school-aged children. This study aimed to evaluate the epidemiological distribution of astigmatism in a large-scale Chinese pediatric population and investigate the independent and interactive impacts of astigmatism magnitude and axis on uncorrected visual acuity (UCVA).

Read more

300×250 Ad Slot