Myopia crisis: Children's eyesight worsening worldwide, study reveals
Research clearly shows that children’s eyesight is deteriorating worldwide. One in three children is already nearsighted or has difficulties clearly perceiving distant objects. This issue worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic when children spent most of their time at home in front of screens.
Nearsightedness, also known as myopia, will affect millions of children worldwide by 2050. The most affected are in Japan, with as many as 85% of children having such problems, in South Korea 73%, and in China and Russia 40% each.
Paraguay and Uganda are on the other side of the spectrum, where only 1% of children are affected by this issue. In the USA, Ireland, and the United Kingdom, it is already about 15%.
The study published in the British Journal of Ophthalmology included over five million children and adolescents from 50 countries on all six continents.
Their calculations showed that myopia tripled between 1990 and 2023 - rising to 36%. Scientists say this increase was "particularly noticeable" after the COVID-19 pandemic.
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It starts in primary school
Nearsightedness, known as myopia, typically begins in primary school and worsens until around the age of 20, as human eyes continue to grow until this age.
Contributing factors to nearsightedness include parents' genetics and an early start to education. This occurs, for example, in Singapore and Hong Kong. Studies show that the later children are required to focus their vision on books and screens, the better their eyesight is.
Nearsightedness is seven times less common in Africa, where schooling starts at the age of six to eight, than in Asia. Research predicts that by 2050, this condition may affect more than half of teenagers worldwide.
Girls and young women are more prone to vision deterioration. Research shows that as they grow, they spend less time on outdoor activities.
Scientists say that by 2050, Asia is likely to have the highest levels compared to all other continents, with nearly 69% nearsightedness, and developing countries could also reach 40%.
Nearsightedness - how to protect children?
Scientists recommend that children aged seven to nine spend at least two hours a day outside.
Parents of children in this age group should also take them for regular eye exams and remember that nearsightedness is hereditary. Glasses or lenses do not cure it; they can only correct the defect.
