Association of Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder With Myopia Among School Children

Abstract

Purpose: To determine the relationship of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) with myopia among school children. Methods: Children aged six to eight years in Hong Kong were recruited through a stratified, clustered randomized sampling frame and subsequently invited to undergo cycloplegic autorefraction and axial length measurements between 2016 and 2021. ADHD diagnoses were made by qualified physicians according to ICD-10 criteria. ADHD symptoms were assessed using the Strengths and Weaknesses of ADHD-symptoms and Normal-behaviors Questionnaire. Results: Totally 474 children with ADHD and 9950 control children were included. The age- and sex-adjusted myopia prevalence was lower in ADHD group (21%) versus controls (26%; P = 0.02). Multivariable regression analysis showed less myopia (odds ratio [OR] = 0.75; P = 0.03), higher spherical equivalent refraction (SER) (β = 0.13; P = 0.04), and shorter axial length (AL) (β = −0.07; P = 0.03) in children with ADHD. Specifically, ADHD with oral methylphenidate (MPH) treatment had less myopia (OR = 0.61, P = 0.04), higher SER (β = 0.36; P < 0.001) and shorter AL (β = −0.25; P < 0.001) compared to controls. Each additional month of MPH treatment was associated with a higher SER (β = 0.02; P = 0.01) and shorter AL (β = −0.01; P = 0.01). For each one-point increase in attention-deficit scores, children were found to be less myopic (OR = 0.88, P = 0.01), having higher SER (β = 0.07; P = 0.003) and shorter AL (β = −0.04; P = 0.001). The prevalence of myopia among ADHD increased to 32% during COVID-19 pandemic compared with 23% before COVID-19 pandemic (P = 0.04). Conclusions: This cross-sectional study found that ADHD is associated with reduced myopia prevalence, more hyperopic SER, and shorter AL. Of note, the observed effect sizes of these associations were small; therefore the interpretation of the clinical meaning needs to be cautious.

Publication DOI: https://doi.org/10.1167/iovs.66.9.36
Divisions: College of Health & Life Sciences > Aston Pharmacy School
College of Health & Life Sciences
Aston University (General)
Funding Information: Supported in part by the General Research Fund (GRF), Research Grants Council, Hong Kong (14102422 [ JCY]); Health and Medical Research Fund (HMRF), Hong Kong (11220206 [ JCY], 10210246 [YZ], 09202466 [LJC]), National Natural Science Foundation of China (
Additional Information: Copyright © The Authors. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Uncontrolled Keywords: COVID-19 pandemic,attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder,myopia,Ophthalmology,Sensory Systems,Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience
Publication ISSN: 1552-5783
Last Modified: 01 Aug 2025 07:36
Date Deposited: 23 Jul 2025 12:56
Full Text Link:
Related URLs: https://iovs.ar ... ticleid=2809225 (Publisher URL)
http://www.scop ... tnerID=8YFLogxK (Scopus URL)
PURE Output Type: Article
Published Date: 2025-07-14
Accepted Date: 2025-06-20
Authors: Chen, Xiu Nian
Zhang, Xiu Juan
Zhang, Yuzhou
Tang, Fangyao
Kam, Ka Wai
Ng, Mandy P. H.
Ip, Patrick
Wong, Ian C. K. (ORCID Profile 0000-0001-8242-0014)
Zhang, Wei
Young, Alvin L.
Tham, Clement C.
Pang, Chi Pui
Chen, Li Jia
Yam, Jason C.

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