If current trends continue, half the world’s population will be myopic by 2050. Such is the stark warning recently issued by researchers in the prestigious journal Ophthalmology. Furthermore, one fifth of them (1 billion) will be at a significantly increased risk of blindness…

The research, undertaken jointly by the Brian Holden Vision institute, University of New South Wales Australia and the Singapore Eye Research Institute, cites the principal cause as “environmental factors” resulting from “a combination of decreased time outdoors and increased near work activities”.

If the findings are correct, major provision will need to be made for eye care services in the near future. The implications for children in particular are potentially huge, and the researchers advise “regular eye examination from an optometrist or ophthalmologist”. The answer may also lie in more time outdoors and reduced “near based activities including electronic devices”.

Sources:

1. Science Daily:
   Half the world to be short-sighted by 2050.
2. American Academy of Ophthalmology:
   Global Prevalence of Myopia and High Myopia and Temporal Trends from 2000 through 2050.