United States: According to a recent study, it is revealed that around one-third of children and teens across the globe are short-sighted, and the cases are meaured to be touching the seventy-four crore mark by 2050.
About short-sightedness
Experts say that short-sightedness, or myopia, is a common condition related to vision, and one finds it difficult to perceive distant objects clearly.
It is usually found in children right from childhood, and it appears to worsen with age.
According to the researchers from Sun Yat-Sen University in China, who underwent about two hundred and seventy-six studies were published until June 2023, deccanherald.com reported.
The researchers analyzed more than five million participants, whose ages ranged from 5 to 19 years, where about two million were cases of short-sightedness condition from 50 countries in Asia and Africa.
Findings of the study
The team stated that the cases of short-sightedness have grown from twenty-four percent during 1990-2000 to twenty-five percent during 2001-10. This measurement is followed by a sharp jump of thirty percent during 2011-19 phase, which further rose to thirty-six percent in 2020-23.
The rising number amounts to one in three children and teens suffering from the condition, the research team noted.
According to the authors, “The global prevalence of childhood myopia is substantial, affecting approximately one-third of children and adolescents, with notable variations in prevalence across different demographic groups,” deccanherald.com reported.
As advised by experts, it is said that one must indulge more in physical activity rather than screen time, which goes for all children and teens.
According to the authors, “… individuals residing in East Asia (35.22 percent) or in urban areas (28.55 percent), female gender (33.57 percent), adolescents (47 percent), and high school students (45.71 percent) exhibit a higher proportion of myopia prevalence.”
What more did the experts find?
The scientists also analyzed a correlation between the time span of education in East Asian countries and the cases of myopia, which they said could give a better explanation of the prevalence of geographical differences in the cases.
“… a correlation between the duration of education and the occurrence of myopia has been observed, suggesting that the early implementation of formal education in certain East Asian nations could potentially serve as a contributingelement,” they added.