The Association Between Menarche and Myopia: Findings From the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination, 2008–2012

Abstract

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to analyze the relationship between age at menarche and myopia in Korean adult females. METHODS: A total of 8398 women of at least 19 years of age, who participated in the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2008 to 2012, underwent a refractive examination using an autorefractor. The association between age at menarche and the severity of myopia was evaluated using a four-level multinomial logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: The prevalence of myopia was 61.77% (95% confidence interval [CI], 60.46-63.08), including 40.02% with low, 15.46% with moderate, and 6.29% with high myopia. The mean age at menarche was 14.09 ± 0.03 years. Age at menarche was inversely associated with the severity of myopia. In fully adjusted models, older age at menarche decreased the risk of moderate myopia (odds ratio [OR], 0.93; 95% CI, 0.86-0.99; P = 0.0261), and high myopia (OR, 0.85; 95% CI, 0.77-0.95; P = 0.0012). CONCLUSIONS: Later age at menarche is associated with a decreased risk of moderate and high myopia. The effects of female sex hormones on ocular structures and growth spurts may mediate this relationship between age at menarche and myopia.