Person:
Bella Gala, Rafael

Loading...
Profile Picture
First Name
Rafael
Last Name
Bella Gala
Affiliation
Universidad Complutense de Madrid
Faculty / Institute
Óptica y Optometría
Department
Optometría y Visión
Area
Optica
Identifiers
UCM identifierORCIDWeb of Science ResearcherIDDialnet ID

Search Results

Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
  • Item
    Lifestyle Factors in Myopic Spanish Children
    (Children, 2024) Güemes-Villahoz, Noemí; Gómez De Liaño Sánchez, María Rosario; Porras Ángel, Paloma; Talavero González, Paula; Bella Gala, Rafael; Martín García, Beatriz; Burgos Blasco, Bárbara; Hernández García, Elena; Chamorro Herrera, Marta; Hernández Verdejo, José Luis; Ruiz Pomeda, Alicia; MDPI
    Background: Childhood myopia represents a global concern with increasing prevalence in recent decades. Lifestyle factors significantly impact myopia. Aim: To evaluate lifestyle factors in myopic children from a metropolitan area in Europe. Methods: This was a descriptive study including myopic subjects aged 4–18 years. Patient demographic and clinical data were collected, including cycloplegic refraction in spherical equivalent refraction (SER) and axial length (AL). In addition, a questionnaire on lifestyle factors was conducted between September 2022 and April 2023. Results: A total of 321 myopic children were included, aged 10.72 ± 3.05 years, of whom 51.4% were boys, with SER −2.25 ± 1.9 D and AL 24.54 ± 0.98 mm. The mean age of myopia onset was 7.69 ± 3.05 years. A total of 59.8% had family history of myopia. Those children who had <2 h/day of screen time (on weekdays) presented SER −2 ± 1.91 D, compared to those who had >2 h/day, SER: −2.50 ±1.88 D (p = 0.009). Children who spent <2 h/day doing near work after school were less myopic compared to those who spent >2 h/day (SER: −1.75 ± 1.83 vs. SER: −2.75 ± 1.82, respectively, p = 0.03). However, no significant association was observed between SER and AL and time spent outdoors nor between SER and AL and academic performance (p > 0.05). Conclusions: Screen time and near-work time appear to be lifestyle factors related to myopia.