Overview

Being exposed to bright light has been experimented in the past as the only way to protect animals against myopia. The most popular studies that have been instrumental in studying human myopia have always incorporated the use of questionnaires in a qualitative form while at the same time administering retrospection. The use of questionnaire in the past has produced results that greatly agree with more than one objective measures being used in investigating myopia. This paper seeks to quantify the use of questionnaire in studying myopia. This objective will be achieved through looking at historical investigations where questionnaires were incorporated in historical studies. Young adult, adult as well as children who are myopes and non-myopes would be used as participants and present with light sensor that could be continuously used for weeks while the investigation is still underway. These participants were also made to complete questionnaires regarding their visual activities. Historically, the use of questionnaires would be analyzed after light data was collected with respect to refracted error and season while the objective sensor information was compared to estimates of subjects and how much time they spent outdoors and indoors.

Historically and even as reflected in the present use of questionnaires in studying myopia, errors in refraction were not correlated to the maximum light intensity, frequency of intensity changes, cumulative light or the time spent in bright exposures of light. Participant estimates using questionnaires in the past though were in poor agreement as compared to data collect using questionnaires in light with the same presently. Presently, the use questionnaires presently suggest that light exposure to participant could be influence with as little as a two minute frequency changes. Below is a questionnaire based investigation breakdown from as early as during the mid-1990s and how these investigations through the use of questionnaires exposed the risk of myopia from light intensity.

A twin study was carried out by Parassinen et al (1993) investigating the risk of acquiring myopia between children between grade 3 and 5. Parassinen et al. (1993) used questionnaire and cyclo-refraction to study the risk of acquiring myopia in children between grade 3 and 5. In his questionnaire, his questions revolved around the amount of time that his subjects spent every day on near work-out in schools and how many hours they spent on outdoor activities and sporting as well. His study was developed to provide a disapproval of the factor of heredity and how his subjects acquired myopia from exposure to high light intensity and outdoor activities.

Quinn et al (1999) developed the next investigation that continued the historical trend in the use of questionnaire in investigating myopia. Basing his study in the United States, this author was interested in investigating participants between the ages of 2-16 in a cross sectional kind of study. Solely relying on questionnaires, the author revealed that exposure to light before the age of two years and after the age of two years affected eye sight. His questions revolved around how much light children before the age of two and after the age of two are exposed to.

Gwiazda et al. (2000) using took the history of questionnaire and myopia to the next level. His participants were between the ages of 2-24 from the United States. In his study, he combined the use of questionnaires with the use of a non-cycloretinoscopy. The author asked questions about the child’s exposure to light before and presently at the age of two years and also asked the parents of the child the rate at which the children managed to remember the conditions they were presented with during night time and whether these conditions were favorable.

In 2002, Mutti et al using participants from United States and performed another investigation on myopia using the questionnaire and the auto cyclo refraction. Reading for pleasure, engaging in sports activities, watching TV, reading for pleasure, reading for school assignments and playing computer games were the questions that this researcher presented to his participants. The reliability of this research was determined after viewing the Parssinen questionnaire. The reporting questionnaire proved to be incomplete because it failed to address the basic requirements of myopia. Just like many other authors throughout history, Mutti (2002) developed his investigation basing on the scare part that the world lacks a clear understanding on the mechanism in which myopia is developed. This means that by developing questions in regard to out or activities and light intensity, researchers try to find out how we can prevent it from re-occurring in the future.

To continue with the main aim of myopia research, Jones et al (2007) in his study used the auto cyclo refraction as well as the questionnaire to study myopia. Jones Jordan et al (2011); (2012) shared similar results and questions similar to Jones (2007). For all Jones papers, he asked questions with reference to how much time his participants engaged in outdoor activities as well as sporting. In his study, this researcher tried to address the current and most likely future impacts on the health of individuals.

Because Jones papers were considered not reliable basing on the Parssinen questionnaire, Saw et al (2007) used a larger number of participants and this time round outside the boarders of the US and investigated among Singapore, China and Xiamen. In a cross sectional study, the researcher used questionnaires and the auto refraction method. His study was based on questions on how much time his participants took in studying, exposure to night club lights, onset of myopia, additional classes and reading weekly publications. The same researcher in 2006 used participants in Singapore alone and asked questions on ethnicity, monthly income, daily reading of books, and the time spent on near work, wearing glasses and the kind of prescriptions for the same glasses.

Rose et al., (2008) investigated participants between the age of 6-12years in a cross-sectional study in Australia. Her research was overtaken by the work of Lu et al (2009) and Low et al (2010) that investigated Asian countries and developed their own questionnaires that looked at the history of myopia in the family of their participants as well as Dirani et al (2009). Apart from looking at how much time their participants take to work, these authors considered the difference between work during weekdays and weekends.

Saw et al (2012) once again in 2012 performed another research using the WHO questionnaire and the following year Schmid et al. (2013) also developed his own questionnaire with focus on the time his participants took in travelling and the time spent indoors as well as French et al (2013). Read et al 2015 used participants between the ages of 10-15 in Australia in a cross sectional study used the WHO questionnaire with non cyclo refraction. In 2015, He et al (2015) used participants from China also using the WHO questions in establishing the history between the questionnaire and myopia.  This study revealed how myopia has become a worldwide concern in the issue of public health. This research also revealed that is as much as it is a great concern it affects   the quality of life and the prevalence of the disease is likely to increase dramatically in decades.