Abstract
INTRODUCTION: The onset of menstruation, a pivotal marker of pubertal development, is recognized linking closely to the growth and health of females during adolescence and adulthood. The objective of this investigation is to elucidate the correlation between the early onset of menarche and the early onset of myopia. METHODS: Female subjects aged 12 who took the enrollment physical examination required for junior high school admission were included. Eligible participants underwent anthropometric assessments, ocular examinations, and a structured questionnaire that included the age at menarche. Ocular parameters were compared between groups by menarche age. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis were used to investigate the relationship between age at menarche and myopia in a sample of 468 participants, approximately 12 years of age. RESULTS: The incidence of myopia in the right eye was observed at 82.7% within the early-menarche group (menarche age ≤ 11), succeeded by 75.8% in the normal-menarche group (menarche age > 11) and 72.3% in the late-menarche group (no menarche at age 12) (p = 0.081). For the left eye, the myopia prevalence was 77.0% in the early-menarche group, followed by 73.2% in the late-menarche group, and 67.3% in the normal-menarche group (p = 0.112). When moderate to severe myopia was used as the outcome, the early onset of menarche age was significantly and negatively related to myopia after adjusting for all possible confounders (p = 0.008 for the right eye, p = 0.004 for the left eye). DISCUSSION: Our findings suggested that the early onset of puberty, indicated by early menarche, may trigger and exacerbate the progression of myopia in early adolescence. Additional interventions may be needed to prevent the early onset of myopia at the early stage of adolescence.