Australian survey explores parental attitudes towards myopia prevention

The online questionnaire of 800 parents found that three in four survey participants were open to interventions aimed at preventing myopia onset

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A mother holds her child while standing on grassy sand dunes by the beach

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Selina Powell

02 November 2026

A new study published in Scientific Reports has outlined the results of a survey of 800 Australian parents about their attitudes towards myopia.

The survey respondents completed questions about their myopia awareness and knowledge, as well as their myopia status and the status of their child.

They were also asked if they would consider pre-myopia intervention if an eye examination found their child was pre-myopic.

Among the survey respondents, 77% reported that they would consider pre-myopia intervention.

Myopia knowledge was the strongest independent predictor of a parent’s willingness to engage with pre-myopia interventions. Greater myopia knowledge was linked to a 34% higher chance that a parent would consider pre-myopia intervention.

“These findings suggest that improving parental understanding of myopia may be critical for successful implementation of future pre-myopia prevention programs in Western populations,” the study authors observed.

Cost, evidence of treatment effectiveness, an eye care professional’s recommendation were the most influential factors determining whether a parent would consider a pre-myopia intervention for their child.