Why does controlling myopia matter?

Myopia, or short sightedness is becoming more prevalent, in fact by 2050, 50% of the global population are expected to have myopia and 10% will have high myopia.

But why should we be concerned? Being myopic is not just about having to wear spectacles to see, myopia, particularly high myopia increases the risk of pathologic ocular changes with the potential to cause permanent vision loss such as cataract, glaucoma, retinal detachment and myopic maculopathy. Current projections suggest that, again by 2050, myopia will become a leading cause of permanent blindness worldwide.

Slowing myopic progression, even by just 1 Dioptre has been shown to reduce the likelihood of a patient developing myopic maculopathy by 40%. Although there is no cure for myopia, a great deal of research has been undertaken to investigate ways of slowing down the rate of progression in children. This is known as myopia control and the earlier it is started the better, and should be continued until at least the age of 17 or when all growth has stopped. Children should also spend more time on outdoor activities, aiming for around 2 hours per day, as this has also been found to help the rate of progression of myopia.