Context:

• This article is based on an Editorial “India needs to keep an eye on its myopia prevalence” which was published in The Hindu. As per the World Health Organization (WHO) estimations, by 2030, the prevalence of myopia will reach around 3.3 billion people. While East Asia and the Pacific have been reporting the highest numbers, India is not under this web trend, it means India has time to act and save the sight of our children.

Global Myopia Epidemic: Alarming Rise in Childhood Vision Impairment and Preventive Measures

• Brow-raising Statistics: The World Health Organization is warning of a global myopia epidemic, where millions of our children are at risk of vision impairment. Projections show nearly 50% of the world’s population will be myopic by 2050.
  • Prediction models are pointing to a myopia prevalence of nearly 50% in India too by 2050 — similar to global projections.
  • In India, one in thirty to one in five schoolchildren are presenting with myopia. 
  • Myopia can be twice as high among urban children when compared to rural ones.
• Reason: As children grow and their bodies change, the length of the eyeball and its power to refract light do not always align, leading to vision that is blurry. 
  • Various environmental and genetic factors determine the onset of myopia.
  • Many children, especially in urban environments, are spending more time indoors and on near-work. 
    • Also, the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated this trend by plundering children of outdoor playtime and exposure to sunlight. 
• Concern: Progressive myopia, after a point, leads to ‘high’ myopia, increasing the risk of retinal detachment, glaucoma or macular degeneration that can cause permanent vision loss.
• Correction: A pair of spectacles of concave lens is required to address the symptom but not the cause (eyeball length), so myopia can progress all through childhood. 
  • Exposure to sunlight and a healthy balance between distance- and near-work can arrest myopia onset and progression. 

Safeguarding Children’s Vision: Strategies for Tackling the Global Myopia Epidemic

• Encourage Annual Screening: Basic, annual screening can be performed by school teachers who can then refer myopic children to eye-care professionals.
• Reach to Needy: It should be easy to screen and provide spectacles for those who need them. 
• Encounter Social Stigmas: It’s time to tackle the social stigma around spectacle wear with tact and compassion. 
• Surveillance: It is critical to step up surveillance for myopia to protect our children’s vision.
• Outdoor Interaction: There is a need to encourage parents to take children out to parks and other outdoor spaces regularly. 
• Sunlight Exposure: Schools must ensure adequate exposure to sunlight. 
• Educational Methodologies: These are required at every school level that balances near-work with distance-work.
• Government Support: There are many treatment strategies but the prevention strategies are far more inexpensive and cost-effective. Government support is desirable to lower down the treatment cost and reduce the burden of myopia of the Country.

Conclusion:

• India must urgently tackle the rising prevalence of childhood myopia by implementing proactive measures, including screening, destigmatization, outdoor promotion, sunlight exposure, and government support, to ensure a healthier vision for the nation’s youth.