New Study Shows That 1 In 3 Children Around The World Is Nearsighted!

Putting the spotlight on the global prevalence of myopia in children, the researchers noted that there is 'striking evidence' existing for rapid increases in its prevalence, especially for Southeast Asian countries.

Nearsightedness, also known as myopia, is a common eye condition wherein the vision is impaired. Those who have this condition tend to see close objects clearly, but distant objects appear blurry or fuzzy to them. It is usually said to be caused by genetics, or prolonged work that requires one to read a lot, or be near screens. Alternatively, lack of outdoor activities and/or abnormal eye shape or curvature can also cause this vision problem. Now, a new study has found that one out of every three children in the world was nearsighted in 2023. According to the research, this proportion of children living with nearsightedness may increase to almost 40 per cent in 2050 -- something that is likely to cause great worry to parents.

Citing the study published in the British Journal of Ophthalmology earlier this week, a CNN report mentioned that in the past 30 years, there has been a 'significant rise' in the prevalence of myopia among children and adolescents: from 24 per cent in the year 1990 to almost 36 per cent in 2023.

"Myopia has emerged as a major public health concern nowadays, with striking evidence existing for rapid increases in its prevalence, especially for Southeast Asian countries such as Singapore, China and Taiwan," the researchers mentioned in their report, adding that in the urban areas of some countries, 80 to 90 per cent of kids who finish high school suffer from myopia, while a smaller percentage of 10 to 20 per cent experience 'high myopia'.

Myopia symptoms include difficulty seeing distant objects (such as TV or board); squinting to focus on faraway objects; headaches or eye strain; facing difficulty in driving or playing a sport.

The study involved researchers from China's Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou. They reached a conclusion after preparing an exhaustive report that analysed the results of 276 studies involving more than 5.4 million children and adolescents in 50 countries across all six continents.

"Our findings contribute to the understanding of the global prevalence of myopia, particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic. It emphasises the need for urgent attention to this public health issue in guiding policy decisions," the researchers noted. The study highlighted a very important point that during the pandemic, when people were confined to their homes, children did spend longer hours studying, not engaging in physical activities and staying glued to their screens and textbooks.

The study noted that myopia typically starts in early childhood and tends to worsen as a person progresses from childhood to adolescence and eventually into adulthood. "Younger students are generally more susceptible and vulnerable to environmental factors compared with adults. This is particularly significant for pre-school children, as they are in a critical period of visual development characterised by high plasticity."

The researchers also mentioned that East Asians are "more than twice as likely to be myopic as similar white peers".

In order to prevent myopia in children, parents must encourage them to engage in outdoor activities. They must also follow the 20-20-20 rule (every 20 minutes, look 20 feet away for 20 seconds). In addition to that, kids must maintain a good posture and go for regular eye exams.