Refractions in the Israeli newborn

A study was made of optical refraction in 300 mature Israeli newborns. It was found that the refraction tended toward mild hypermetropia and that there was a relatively high percentage of congenital myopia. The incidence of myopia in the Israeli newborn is not higher than that of other world newborn populations, but in Ashkenazi infants the incidence is higher than in Sephardi infants. Female newborns have a much higher incidence of myopia than males. Infants of young mothers under 20 yr of age show a much higher incidence of myopia than other age groups. This incidence is more than double that of the general newborn population when the mother suffered from an illness such as toxemia, heart disease, or anemia during pregnancy.