Overview

• Researchers analyzed 1,005 Hong Kong children aged 6–8 in the population-based Children Eye Study and published the findings in the British Journal of Ophthalmology.
• Higher omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid intake correlated with shorter axial length and less myopic refraction after adjustment for age, sex, BMI, near work, outdoor time, and parental myopia.
• Children with the highest saturated fat intake showed longer axial length and more myopic refractive error, while no other nutrients were linked to myopia measures.
• Diet was captured by a 280-item food frequency questionnaire completed with parental help, and eye outcomes included axial length and cycloplegic spherical equivalent.
• Authors note limitations including the cross-sectional design, recall-based diet data, and lack of biomarkers, and they call for longitudinal studies and trials to test proposed mechanisms such as increased choroidal blood flow.