Epidemiology of Myopia

Abstract

Myopia is not a simple refractive error, but an eyesight-threatening disease. There is a high prevalence of myopia, 80% to 90%, in young adults in East Asia; myopia has become the leading cause of blindness in this area. As the myopic population increases globally, the severity of its impact is predicted. Approximately one fifth of the myopic population has high myopia (≥-6 diopters), which results in irreversible vision loss such as retinal detachment, choroidal neovascularization, cataracts, glaucoma, and macular atrophy. The increasing prevalence of school myopia in the past few decades may be a result of gene-environment interactions. However, earlier school myopia onset would accompany faster myopia progression and greater risk of high myopia later in life. Recently, there have been effective interventions to delay the onset of myopia, such as outdoor activity and decreasing the duration of near work. Hyperopia (≤0.5 diopters) is a predictor of myopia. Pharmacological agents and optic interventions such as low-concentration atropine and orthokeratology may slow progression in myopic children. Novel surgeries and anti-vascular endothelial growth factor drugs could deal with some myopic complications. From available evidence, the prevention, control, and treatment of myopia seem to be promising. However, to reduce the impact of myopia in future decades, more work and effort are still needed, including that by governments and intercountry eye health organizations.

Prevalence of refractive errors in children in India: a systematic review

“…The odds of having combined refractive errors and myopia alone were twice as high among urban children compared to rural children. This is similar to earlier findings on the epidemiology of refractive error in other parts of the world and this meta‐analysis provides further support for this pattern across India. This may be due to the increased educational demands leading to more near vision activities .…”

The association between digital screen time and myopia: A systematic review

“…Several studies have examined the individual relationship of digital screen time as a risk factor for myopia. However, consistent evidence of an association between screen time and myopia development is lacking . Education and near work have played major roles in the rise in myopia rates even before the introduction of digital devices .…”

Visual Light Leak in High-Frequency Electromagnetic Radiation Hole: A Photon-Electron Theory for Living Tissue for Explaining Myopia

“…From 350 BC to now, literature has showed hypotheses about etiology of myopia such as lack of enough outdoor activities and too long time of near work 1 , literature suggested that blue light from screen may correlate with myopia 3,4 , but the identical effect of blue light remains unclear [3][4][5] . The specific causes of myopia remain undefined 1,6,7 .…”

“…1. k). 4. Taking the distance of S for example, the S is the furthest vision distance for the three chosen visual light photons for the health eye.…”