NOTE: This Article is originally published on MEDIUM.
Nearsightedness, which is also popularly called myopia, is now being one of the most poked in the world in the vision impairment relay. What has been considered a localized problem in some particular groups has now become one of the world’s public health issues. What happens to be so concerning is that specialists say that by 2050, half of the world’s population, which is about 5 billion people, will be myopic, and a vast number of them will be threatened by serious complications like total blindness. This jump needs instant care to reduce its bad effects not only on health but also on productivity and quality of life.
What is Myopia?
With myopia, the condition is when the eye is elongated too excessively or the cornea is too curved in a steep way, whereby light focuses more in front of the retina, which is only supposed to direct it. This, in turn, causes distance vision blur. For this condition, glasses, contact lenses, and refractive surgery may sometimes be the necessary correction. Unfortunately, high myopia (more than -6.00 diopters) is known to be the gross cause of retinal detachment, glaucoma, and myopic macular degeneration. These illnesses can gradually cause permanent sight loss; thus, myopia is more than something to break the monotony of life.
The Growing Epidemic
1. Increased Screen Time and Near Work:
One of the most important reasons for the rise of myopia is more use of digital devices. Both kids and adults spend many hours with their smartphones, tablets, and computers or laptops. The lack of breaks in the prolonged screen use adds to the eye strain and pushes the myopic progression. Furthermore, tasks that require constant focus on objects that are near, such as reading or studying, have been connected with the development of myopia, and it is especially true in younger individuals whose eyes are not fully developed.
2. Decline in Outdoor Activity:
There is a growing interest in research that has proven that outdoor time is very effective in the prevention of myopia among individuals. It is well known that sunlight and far-focus objects are the main factors in preventing myopia. On the other hand, urbanization, academic pressures, and changing lifestyles have been the main reasons for the decline in outdoor activities. The children of today are often engaged in organized indoor activities as well as screen-based activities, which have eliminated unstructured outdoor play.
3. Urbanization and Environmental Factors:
Urban life has a very close connection with higher rates of myopia. Insufficient access to outdoor green spaces, a heavier focus on indoor activities, and dependency on artificial lighting are the indicative features of the cities. The above-mentioned circumstances make it difficult for natural daylight exposure, which is a requisite to healthy eye development and also causes myopia.
The fast-paced urbanization with its unhealthy lifestyle trends that encourage net proximity along with the inactive ones is another fundamental factor contributing to the problem.
4. Genetics and Epigenetics:
Despite the fact that genes are the major reasons that affect the possibility of getting myopia, the connection between genes and the environment is starting to prove to be more apparent. The chance of developing myopia is higher in children who have myopic parents.
Nevertheless, environmental factors like screen time, education intensity, and outdoor playtime can either reduce or increase the genetic risks, thus having a role in controlling the condition.
The Implications of Rising Myopia
The increase in myopia case numbers poses huge challenges to healthcare systems around the world. Vision correction through prescription glasses and contact lenses means that it is rather an economic burden, especially for middle- and low-income countries, where it is only in rare cases that people can get treatment.
But, additionally, the complications that develop with severe myopia, for example, the retina’s detachment and macular degeneration, which are the risk of vision loss coming along, grow progressively higher. Not only does that affect the individual’s quality of life, but it also influences their learning and job functions and the number of healthcare resources used.
Untreated myopia may be an obstacle to academic performance in children; moreover, long-term consequences for both career and social development are expected. Conversely, an adult’s cost in both financial and emotional aspects as a result of treating myopia-related complications can be quite high. The rapidly growing number of myopia patients on a societal level requires the use of resources for research, prevention, and treatment strategies, which are already a health care system at its limits.
Addressing the Crisis
1. Early Detection and Intervention:
Myopia could be easily managed if it is identified timely. Regular eye examinations, particularly for children, facilitate early detection as well as the effective management of the disease. Interventions including low-dose atropine eye drops, orthokeratology (specialized contact lenses worn at night), and bifocal or multifocal lenses have been found to be very effective in slowing myopia development. Interventions with the help of the parents in the initial stage hinder the worse development of myopia and thus lower the complication risk.
2. Promoting Outdoor Activities:
Outdoor activities being so simple yet obviously instrumental is one of the preventive things that we can do against it. Schools, communities, and families should give more importance to setting opportunities for children to be outside. According to the studies, the physical activity level, which is just 1-2 hours of bidding the outdoor basis, can appreciably lower the risk of the development and worsening of this ailment.
3. Public Awareness Campaigns:
Raising parents’, educators’, and policymakers’ awareness of the dangers of myopia and the strategies to avoid it is one of the most important things to do. Public health campaigns can create a buzz around the issues of regular checkups, going outside, and the best way to use screens. In this way, the communities will be able to take action that is even more proactive.
4. Advancing Research and Technology:
Innovation is the main point when dealing with the myopia epidemic. One of the examples of the ongoing research is the investigation of contact lenses that manage myopia and also the development of wearable devices that measure screen time and close work. The cooperation of scientists, health care workers, and the technology industry is the keystone of the development and implementation of these solutions. Besides, the investments in the knowledge of the genetic and environmental mechanisms that are the causes of myopia will result in the discovery of more personalized prevention and treatment methods.
A Call to Action
The increase in short-sightedness is not only a medical problem but also a social figure of a challenge that takes a thorough and joint approach. Governments, healthcare systems, educators, and families all have roles to play in combating this epidemic. Through the actions of prevention, detection, and the newest solutions, we may decrease the toll of myopia in the world and ensure that the younger generations enjoy the sights of a clear vision.
In a world that is more and more digital and urbanized, we will have to retain a balance between technological and lifestyle modifications. The time to act is now. Through the concerted effort, we are confronting the rapid rise of myopia, particularly with billions of people around the world having their vision at risk.
NOTE: This article is first/originally published on MEDIUM .
https://medium.com/illumination/the-rise-of-myopia-a-global-vision-crisis-b399c88e0621
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