Just walking down the street, you can see that many more people are wearing prescription glasses. A study has shown that this is a problem that is likely to get worse in the future. This research notably estimated that nearly 40% of young people could be myopic by 2050.
It’s a fact, more and more people have vision problems
As a reminder, myopia is a vision disorder that affects distance vision. In other words, myopic people do not have difficulty seeing objects that are close to them clearly, but they have difficulty seeing objects that are further away. Myopia is a very common eye disease that is usually corrected by wearing glasses. It is estimated that approximately 20-30% of the world’s population is currently myopic. However, it is more than likely that the number of myopic people will increase in the future.
Indeed, due to various factors – notably a greater demand on near vision in everyday life and the much more common use of devices with bright screens – the tendency to become myopic has continued to evolve. from the 1990s. Researchers at Sun-Yat-sen University in China recently looked into this problem. And according to the results of their study published in the journal British Journal of Ophthalmologyit is very likely that almost 40% of adolescents and children will be myopic by 2050.
The study also made it possible to identify the main factors associated with this increase; namely gender, place of residence and level of education. So, girls are more likely to suffer from myopia. The same goes for young people whose place of residence is located in East Asia and urban areas, as well as for those who have access to a more advanced level of education. In addition to these factors, the researchers also noted that the Covid-19 pandemic may have played a role in the sharp increase observed after 2020.
Worrying statistics
To reach these conclusions, the researchers analyzed a total of 276 relevant studies and government reports on myopia published through June 2023. In total, these studies included data collected from more than 5 million children and adults. adolescents (2 million of whom were myopic) from all over the world. The results of analyzes of these data showed a constant increase in the prevalence of myopia from 1990 until 2023 among young people aged 5 to 19 years. It was thus determined that currently, one in three young people is myopic.
Based on figures and trends over the past three decades, researchers determined that the global prevalence of myopia is expected to reach about 40 percent by 2050, surpassing 740 million cases in about 30 years, up from 600 million in 2030. And this rate should be significantly higher among 13 to 19 year olds than among 6 to 12 year olds. Similarly, low- and middle-income countries are expected to have a higher prevalence, with a projected rate of 41% by 2050. Asia, for its part, is expected to have the highest prevalence of all, with rates 52% in 2030, 62% in 2040 and 69% in 2050.
To explain the geographic differences, researchers believe it is likely linked to the fact that populations in East and South Asia have experienced rapid economic development in recent years, drastically changing their lifestyle. Moreover, unlike what has been observed in Asia, African populations have a lower prevalence of myopia, probably attributed to lower literacy rates and a late start to formal education. Furthermore, these smart glasses could slow down or even reverse myopia.
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