TY - JOUR T1 - Five-year change in refractive error and its risk factors: results from the Gutenberg Health Study JF - British Journal of Ophthalmology JO - Br J Ophthalmol SP - 140 LP - 146 DO - 10.1136/bjophthalmol-2021-318828 VL - 107 IS - 1 AU - Julia V. Stingl AU - Sol A Ban AU - Markus Nagler AU - Irene Schmidtmann AU - Philipp S. Wild AU - Karl J. Lackner AU - Thomas Münzel AU - Manfred E. Beutel AU - Norbert Pfeiffer AU - Alexander K. Schuster Y1 - 2023/01/01 UR - http://bjo.bmj.com/content/107/1/140.abstract N2 - Background/Aims To examine the 5-year change in refractive error in phakic eyes and its risk factors in the general population.Methods The Gutenberg Health Study (GHS) is a population-based cohort study including 15 010 participants from Germany aged 35–74 years at baseline examination (2007–2012). After 5 years, a follow-up examination was carried out (83% participation). 5-year change of spherical equivalent (SE) was computed as difference between follow-up and baseline objective refraction. Linear and logistic regression analysis were conducted analysing potential risk factors. Only phakic eyes at follow-up examination were included.Results Right eyes of 10 175 subjects were included. An age-related shift of refractive error was identified, namely −0.12 D for age 35–44 years, 0.25 D for age 45–54 years, 0.25 D for age 55–64 years and 0.12 D for age 65–74 years during the 5-year follow-up. Smokers had a hyperopic shift (OR=1.31; p<0.001), while baseline SE (OR=0.89 per dioptre; p<0.001) and female sex (OR=1.49; p<0.001) were linked with a myopic shift. Education, occupation and other cardiovascular parameters were not associated with change in refractive error.Conclusions The GHS demonstrates a parabolic shift in refractive error with a myopic shift at age 35–44 years, followed by a hyperopic shift at age 45–64 years which decreases at higher age. Smoking is associated with a hyperopic shift whereas female sex and myopic baseline SE is associated with a myopic shift. Educational level and occupation were not linked to a change in refractive error at age 35–74 years.The written informed consent of GHS study participants does not approve public access to the data. This concept was requested by the local data protection officer and ethics committee (local ethics committee of the Medical Chamber of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany). Access to data at the local database in accordance with the ethics vote is offered upon request at any time. Interested researchers can make their requests to the Principal Investigators of the Gutenberg Health Study (email: info{at}ghs-mainz.de). ER -