Children with a baseline spherical equivalent (SE) below +1.0 diopter are at increased risk for faster myopic progression, according to a study.
Researchers analyzed STORM (Shanghai Time Outside to Reduce Myopia) trial data from 4,420 children aged 6 to 9 years who were not myopic at baseline. Over a 1-year period, children with baseline SE above +1.0 D showed relatively stable refractive changes. However, those with SE below +1.0 D experienced faster progression toward myopia. This turning point was consistent across age groups and confirmed through multiple statistical methods, including restricted cubic spline modeling and segmented regression.
The researchers suggested that these findings may help clinicians identify children at higher risk for developing myopia earlier and guide timely preventive interventions.
Reference
Chen J, Qi Z, Zhang X, et al. Myopic shift accelerates at refractive diopter below +1.0 in children aged 6 to 9 years old. Am J Ophthalmol. 2025;S0002-9394(25)00369-1. doi: 10.1016/j.ajo.2025.07.015. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 40692038.
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