Parents are being warned about the rapid rise of myopia in children as a third of children require glasses, according to a leading global study.
According to research, cases among children and adolescents will reach 740 million cases by 2050.
Experts have long warned that this is because young people spend less time outdoors and more time watching television and playing video games.
But scientists said Covid, which forced millions to stay at home, may have “accelerated vision deterioration” in children.
Nearsightedness, or nearsightedness, is a growing global health problem that will affect millions more children by 2050, the study warns.
Research published in the British Journal of Ophthalmology analyzed 276 studies and found that global myopia rates tripled between 1990 and 2023, reaching 36 percent.
Prevalence has increased every decade since the 1990s: between 2001 and 2010, 25.3 percent of young people had the condition, compared to 29.7 percent between 2011 and 2019.
Researchers revealed that girls are more likely to suffer from myopia than boys
Experts have long warned that this is because young people spend less time outdoors and more time watching television and playing video games.
The World Health Organization estimates that more than half of the world’s population will suffer from myopia by 2050, compared to a third now, due to increased time spent indoors and doing “close work,” such as spending more time schoolwork.
There are also marked differences in rates around the world.
In the United Kingdom, Ireland and the United States, around 15 percent of children currently suffer from this condition.
The highest rates are found in Asia: 85 percent of children in Japan and 73 percent in South Korea are myopic, and more than 40 percent affected in China and Russia.
The age at which children begin education is believed to have an impact; In Asia it is common for children to start school at the age of 2 and researchers believe this is part of the reason for the global disparity.
While in Africa, where schooling generally begins when children are six years old, myopia is seven times less common than in Asia.
The World Health Organization estimates that more than half of the world’s population will suffer from myopia by 2050, compared to a third now, due to increased time spent indoors and doing “close work,” such as spending more time schoolwork.
Girls are also likely to have higher rates than boys because they tend to spend less time doing outdoor activities at school and being at home as they get older, the researchers suggested.
This more recent increase may be attributed in part to the COVID-19 pandemic and the transition to more remote learning, the authors suggested.
Vision experts in the UK advise parents to ensure children spend at least two hours outdoors every day, especially between the ages of seven and nine, to reduce their chances of becoming nearsighted.
‘The concern about myopia cannot be underestimated. “Some of the things that cause myopia at such high rates are themselves harmful to health, such as spending less time outdoors,” says Professor Nathan Congdon of Queen’s University Belfast.
“In this sense, increasing myopia is a ‘canary in a coal mine’ causing worrying changes in lifestyle,” he says.
“Firstly, do everything you can to encourage your child to get outdoors every day, ideally for 2 hours.”
The teacher also warns that video games are having an impact and recommends booking an eye test when your child reaches school age.
It’s unclear whether it’s the presence of natural sunlight, outdoor exercise, or the fact that children’s eyes focus on more distant objects that makes the difference.
“There is something about being outdoors that is a real benefit for children,” said Daniel Hardiman-McCartney, clinical adviser at the College of Optometrists in the UK.
Although the risk factors are not fully understood, there is also a genetic element to myopia.
‘Children of two parents with myopia have a higher risk of developing the disease compared to those with a myopic parent. If one parent has myopia, the risk of the child developing myopia is approximately 1.5 times higher. If both parents are nearsighted, the risk of the child suffering from myopia is 2.7 times higher,” Dr Janice Lam, a pediatric ophthalmologist at the National University Hospital of Singapore, told Metro.
Myopia cannot be cured but it can be corrected with glasses or contact lenses.
The World Health Organization estimates that more than half of the world’s population will suffer from myopia by 2050 due to increased time spent indoors and doing “near work,” such as school work.
