7 Jan 2026 • Myopia—particularly high myopia—was strongly associated with a higher long-term risk of glaucoma and the need for surgical intervention, new large-scale study revealed.

Of more than 14 million adults followed for a median of 7.5 years, individuals with myopia had a 44% higher risk of developing glaucoma compared with those without refractive error (aHR 1.44). Risk more than doubled among those with high myopia (aHR 2.67).

The association was even stronger for surgical outcomes. Myopia was linked to a 71% higher likelihood of undergoing glaucoma surgery (aHR 1.71), while high myopia more than tripled surgical risk (aHR 3.07). For invasive filtering procedures such as trabeculectomy, risk doubled in myopic eyes (aHR 2.03) and quadrupled in highly myopic eyes (aHR 4.03).

The findings position myopia as a significant glaucoma risk modifier rather than a benign refractive condition, underscoring the need for earlier and more intensive glaucoma surveillance in myopic patients to enable timely detection and potentially reduce the need for surgery.

Source: Science Direct | Read full story