Experts warn of an ‘epidemic’ of myopia, with half the world needing glasses by 2050

Half the world will need glasses by 2050, leading to a global vision epidemic, eye experts warn.

Recent research shows that the rate of myopia – myopia – has increased by almost 25 percent in several countries, including the US.

Dr. Andrew Herbert, a psychologist who focuses on visual perception at the Rochester Institute of Technology, warned that based on this research, if these trends continue, as many as 4 billion people will need corrective lenses.

Despite previous concerns that screen time could damage our vision, Dr Herbert said the increase could be due to us spending more time reading devices and books close to the face – and less time outdoors.

‘Myopia, or the need for corrected vision to focus to see distant objects, has become much more common in recent decades. Some even consider myopia, also known as myopia, to be an epidemic,” wrote Dr. Herbert The conversation.

‘The increase in myopia is likely to have its worst consequences in 40 to 50 years, because it will take time for the young people now diagnosed with myopia to experience the most serious vision problems.’

A study in Ophthalmology Journal predicted that half of the world’s population will have myopia or nearsightedness by 2050

Myopia usually develops in childhood or adolescence, but can occur at any age. It affects about 30 percent of the U.S. population

Nearsightedness is a condition in which nearby objects appear clear, but further away objects appear blurry.

Normally, vision depends on the light passing through the cornea and lens. These parts of the eye bend or refract when light hits the eye, directing it to the retina, which is located at the back of the eye and sends signals to the brain that interprets an image.

However, nearsightedness occurs when parts of the eye are misshapen and the eye cannot focus properly on the incoming light. This makes the images appear blurry.

Myopia usually develops in childhood or adolescence, but can occur at any age. Dr. Herbert noted that although it runs in families, “there is no single myopia gene. This means that the causes of myopia are behavioral rather than genetic.’

‘And it is progressive. Blurring leads to eye growth, which creates even more blur, which makes the eye even bigger, and so on.’

According to the American Optometric Association, myopia affects approximately 30 percent of the U.S. population.

The agency also notes that a lot of screen time, such as looking at a smartphone, increases the risk of myopia by 30 percent, and when that is combined with excessive computer use, the risk rises to 80 percent.

Dr. However, Herbert pointed to two recent studies involving surveys of children and parents, which found that the increase in myopia could be due to the fact that we spend more time staring at multiple types of objects right in front of our eyes. These can be screens, but also books or drawing pads.

“The more time we spend concentrating on something within arm’s length of our face, called ‘near work,’ the greater the chance of myopia,” he wrote.

“So as much as people may blame new technologies like smartphones and too much ‘screen time’ for hurting our eyes, the truth is that even activities as valuable as reading a good book can affect your vision.”

Dr. Herbert also referenced a 2022 study in the journal BMC Public HealthThis study found that myopia was four times higher in children who did not spend much time outdoors, such as going out only once or twice a week, compared to those who did so daily.

In the developing world, Dr. Herbert attributed the spikes to rapid development and industrialization, especially in East Asian countries, over the past fifty years. “Around that time, young people were spending more time in classrooms, focusing on other subjects, very close to their eyes, and less time outdoors,” he said.

For example, he pointed out research into indigenous groups in North American Arctic communities after World War II, when schooling became mandatory for Inuit children.

“Myopia rates for Inuit went from single digits before the 1950s to more than 70 percent in the 1970s, when all children first started school,” he said.

Rates have also risen in Western Europe, North America and Australia, but not as sharply, Dr. Herbert said. “The two main factors found to lead to increased myopia are increased reading and other activities that require you to focus on an object close to your eyes and a reduction in time spent outdoors,” he said.

‘But there appear to be two reliable ways to offset or slow these effects: spend less time focusing on objects close to your face, such as books and smartphones, and spend more time outside in bright, natural light.’

‘Since the first piece of advice is difficult to follow in our modern age, the next best thing you can do is take regular breaks – or perhaps spend more time reading and scrolling outside in the sunshine.’