Axial length longest in lowest versus highest quartile of ω-3 PUFA intake; corresponding trend seen in cycloplegic spherical equivalent refraction
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter
MONDAY, Aug. 25, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (ω-3 PUFA) intake may be protective against myopia in children, according to a study published online Aug. 19 in the British Journal of Ophthalmology.
Xiu Juan Zhang, from The Chinese University of Hong Kong, and colleagues conducted an analysis including 1,005 Chinese children aged 6 to 8 years from a population-based Hong Kong Children Eye Study. A validated food-frequency questionnaire was used to assess diet. An autorefractometer was used to assess cycloplegic spherical equivalent (SE) refraction, and axial length (AL) was measured through noncontact partial-coherence laser interferometry.
The researchers found that after adjustment for age, sex, body mass index, near-work time, outdoor time, and parental myopia history, AL was longest in the lowest versus the highest quartile group of ω-3 PUFA intake (adjusted mean, 23.29 versus 23.08 mm). Corresponding trends were observed in SE (–0.13 and 0.23 D in the lowest and highest groups, respectively). In contrast, the longest AL was seen in the highest versus the lowest quartile group of saturated fatty acids intake (23.30 versus 23.13 mm, respectively). The corresponding trends in SE were –0.12 and 0.13 D in the highest and lowest quartile groups, respectively. There was an association for lower ω-3 PUFA intake with myopia. No other associations were seen for nutrients with SE, AL, or myopia.
“Lower ω-3 PUFA intake in diet was significantly associated with myopia and AL elongation, indicating that ω-3 PUFA intake may play a protective role in myopia development in children,” the authors write.
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