One in three children is myopic: screens, Covid-19… a study warns of the global explosion of this visual disorder and its causes

A study from the British Medical Journal (BMJ) relayed by the BBC warns of the increase in the number of myopic children in recent years. According to the results, the vision of young people continues to deteriorate: 1 in 3 children is now myopic or has difficulty seeing from a distance.

To draw its conclusions, the BMJ compiled 276 studies carried out on 5,410,945 participants from 50 countries spread across six continents. According to researchers, the prevalence of children and adolescents with myopia increased from 24% between 1990 and 2000 to nearly 36% between 2020 and 2023. In total, 740 million young people could be affected by this vision disorder. here 2050.

The highest rates have been recorded in Asia: 85% of children are myopic in Japan, 73% in South Korea and more than 40% in China and Russia. Paraguay and Uganda record the lowest prevalence with only 1% of children suffering from this disorder. Generally speaking, the African continent appears less affected.

A relationship with the start of schooling

Myopia generally manifests itself in childhood and tends to worsen as we move into adulthood. Researchers suggest that children starting school at an early age are more affected. This is particularly the case in Singapore or Hong Kong where students begin formal education between the ages of 2 and 3.

Indeed, spending more time focusing on books or screens tires the eye muscles and can cause myopia. Conversely, African populations whose schooling starts later, generally between 6 and 8 years, have a lower prevalence of myopia. People living in urban areas also seem more affected than rural populations.

Covid partly responsible

A notable increase in cases of myopia in children was observed after the Covid-19 crisis, underlines the BMJ. Prolonged confinement would indeed have negative repercussions on eye health according to some scientists. Data on this phenomenon remains insufficient, but a reduction in outdoor activities combined with an increase in time spent on screens could cause vision to deteriorate. A situation that confinement has made favorable.

The study also suggests that girls are more prone to developing this vision disorder than boys. A reality probably influenced by the fact that they spent less time outdoors in their childhood.

Prevent its appearance as early as possible

To prevent the development of myopia, the study recommends encouraging physical activities in children and reducing screen time. She also advocates limiting homework and working time outside of school.

Regular examinations are also recommended to detect possible vision problems quickly and treat them early. Parents suffering from visual disorders should be particularly attentive to the appearance of symptoms in their children since they have a genetic predisposition.

Symptoms to watch out for

• Difficulty reading from a distance, for example the class blackboard
• Holding your phone close to your face or sitting very close to the television
• Recurring headaches
• Regular eye rubbing