Obese Children More Likely to Develop Astigmatism

Research has suggested that childhood obesity is a major public health concern that can lead to potential complications later in life. Recent evidence has indicated that astigmatism is a potential future consequence of adolescent struggles with obesity. Photo: Cory Collier, OD. Click image to enlarge. Multiple factors can influence the risk of vision degradation, including obesity. In a recent study, Israeli researchers analyzed the impact that a high body mass index (BMI) at early stages in life has on the progression towards astigmatism.For this study, researchers examined health records of children aged six to 10 collected by Maccabi Health Services, Israel’s second-largest health organization. A total of 22,130 cases of children who received refractive screening between 2012 and 2022 with follow-up of at least two years were analyzed. BMI, divided into overweight (≥85th to <95th) and obese (≥95th percentile) categories, and diagnoses of astigmatism ( ≥0.75 D) were assessed.“Few studies have investigated the association between BMI and astigmatism, yielding inconsistent results,” said the researchers in their paper. “The present study expands on previous research by using large-scale, population-based longitudinal data spanning a decade, enabling BMI assessment before follow-up refractive evaluation and supporting evidence for a temporal relationship.”Researchers observed high odds of developing astigmatism in children with higher BMIs compared to those with normal weights. Overweight cases had a 10% higher chance of low-to-moderate astigmatism and a 40% higher chance of developing high astigmatism. Obese cases had higher odds, with children experiencing a 24% chance of low-to-moderate astigmatism and a 76% chance of high astigmatism.“The longitudinal design supports a temporal relationship between baseline BMI and follow-up astigmatism, with possible implications for targeted vision screening,” said the researchers. “Future studies should clarify mechanisms and refine screening strategies.”Click here for the journal source. Nitzan I, Carmon D, Spierer O. Childhood overweight and obesity as risk factors for astigmatism: a longitudinal analysis. Canadian Journal of Ophthalmology. July 2, 2026. [Epub ahead of print]. This article was developed by the editorial staff in conjunction with experts in the field. In the process, AI may have been among the editorial tools used to meet the goals of human editors, who approved all content.