A myopia epidemic

Myopia (nearsightedness) has reached epidemic proportions worldwide. By 2050, according to one estimate, half the world’s population will be nearsighted. In the U.S., its prevalence has jumped from 25 percent in the 1970s to 42 percent in the early 2000s.

People with myopia can see an object up close clearly, but at a distance the object is blurred. That’s because, instead of the focus of light landing on the retina, it occurs in front of the retina.

Myopia predisposes people to other eye conditions that can lead to blindness. Higher degrees of myopia are associated with premature cataracts, glaucoma, retinal tears and detachments, and myopic macular degeneration.

Researchers believe the myopia epidemic is the result of children not getting as much outdoor play as in the past. Being outdoors is important because outdoor light enables the visual system to process a variety of light wavelengths and intensities—variety that’s needed for normal eye development and growth. (Studies could not support unequivocal evidence that using digital devices is causing the shift toward myopia.)

In the U.S., myopia hasn’t garnered the same sense of urgency and funding as is the case in other parts of the world. Because we in the U.S. don’t have a nationalized health system, we also don’t have a national database to provide standardized tracking and reporting that would provide good prevalence data for myopia. To attract attention and funding for effective screening, treatment, prevention, and research, experts believe that myopia needs to be recognized as a disease.  

I don’t know whether I’m nearsighted or farsighted. I don’t normally wear glasses. I have a pair for reading, and another pair for distance, which I rarely use, even though they work well. As with most old people, as a child, I spent more time outdoors than kids do nowadays.

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