EYE EDUCATION_MYOPIA

Unless we act now, 50% of the world’s population could have myopia by 2050.

50%

of the world's population could be myopic by 2050.

90%

up tp 90% of young people in Asia below the age of 20are myopic.

100%

100% impact: myopia causes vision impairment, reducedlity of life.

What is Myopia?

Myopia: “A refractive error in which rays of light entering the eye parallel to the optic axis are brought to a focus in front of the retina when ocular accommodation is relaxed. This usually results from the eyeball being too long from front to back, but can be caused by an overly curved cornea, a lens with increased optical power, or both. It is also called nearsightedness. ” [1]

Risk factors of Myopia

Education (analogous to intense nearwork) and time outdoors are the two major causal risk factors for myopia identified so far. [2]

Nearwork(screen time)

Education (analogous to intense nearwork) is one of the major causal risk factors for myopia identified so far. The visual tasks of reading, writing and using screen (near work) may be contributors. [2]

Time Outdoors

Time Outdoors is one of the other major causal risk factors for myopia. There is considerable evidence showing that increased time outdoors delays the onset of myopia. It may also slow the progression of myopia.[2]

Diet

In several studies, specific meats, fruits, and vegetables have revealed the role of dietary factors in protection against myopia. This protective effect may be attributed to the beneficial components.

Sleep

Dietary change could have contributed to the increased prevalence of myopia, and this argument may involve to insulin resistance, chronic yperinsulinemia, increased circulating IGF-1, decreased circulating growth hormone.

How Nearwork(screen time) lead to Myopia

A study establishes a novel model mimicking real-life human “near-work” situations, finding that short viewing distances induce myopia and reduce choroidal blood perfusion (ChBP) and choroidal thickness. Another study shows that decreased ChBP in guinea pigs leads to scleral hypoxia, myofibroblast transdifferentiation with increased α-SMA expression, and ultimately, myopia development.[3-4]

Reference:

[1] IMI – Defining and Classifying Myopia: A Proposed Set of Standards for Clinical and Epidemiologic Studies.

[2] IMI– Risk factors for myopia.

[3] Exp Eye Res. 2022. Near work induces myopia in Guinea pigs.

[4] IOVS. 2021. Decreased Choroidal Blood Perfusion Induces Myopia in Guinea Pigs.