Multi-Center Study on Ethnicity and Refractive Error in Schoolchildren

The Collaborative Longitudinal Evaluation of Ethnicity and Refractive Error (CLEERE) Study is an observational investigation that started in 1989. It aims to understand normal eye growth and the development of myopia, or nearsightedness, in school-aged children. The study initially focused on over 1,200 predominantly Caucasian children, but has since expanded to include African-American, Hispanic, and Asian children across three additional clinical sites. The goal is to compare and contrast the eye components and refractive error profiles of different ethnic groups, and to identify potential genetic factors that may predict the onset of juvenile myopia. In this study, children aged 6 through 14 years are examined annually for at least four years. The examinations include a variety of tests such as visual acuity, refraction by different methods (with cycloplegic autorefraction being the primary outcome measure), cover test at distance and near, accommodative response assessment, response AC/A ratio measurement, videophakometry, peripheral refraction, and A-scan ultrasonography. As of April 28, 1999, the clinical centers have enrolled 3,493 patients.