Is Your Child's Future Bright or Blind?
Our shortsightedness that is fueling a global Myopia Epidemic
A report1 published in 2015 at the University of South Wales, Australia, estimated that 50% of the world population will be myopic by 2050. This epidemic has seen over 5% growth every 10 years with 35% affected globally as of 2020.
Myopia, originating from the greek word “muopia” meaning “to close the eyes”, is commonly referred to as near-sightedness. It is a condition wherein close objects appear clearly while objects faraway are blurred, and is diagnosed usually in the pre-teen years.
Myopia is first noticed in children after the age of 6 years, accompanied by excessive elongation of the axial length of the eye, and steadily increases until the age of 14, after which it gradually decreases and stabilizes in the early twenties.2
My dad started wearing glasses in his early 30’s, my mom in her 40’s, both of which can be attributed to deteriorating eyesight with age. But my younger brother and I got our prescribed attachments well before our teenage years.
Here’s how my Dad explains it, “You guys watched too many shows on TV and needed correction later for permanent usage, but your older brother was an exception.”
My older brother is surely the anomaly with perfect 20-20 vision even now in his 50s. Why is he an exception? He watched Air Wolf, Street Hawk, Blue Thunder, The A-Team, Misfits of Science, Benji, Automan, Knight Rider, The Fall Guy, and all those 80s and 90s classic tv-series sitting right next to us. And no, he wasn’t adopted.
He is an exception because myopia is not always inherited, despite popular and prevailing beliefs. Genetics is merely a contributing factor that ups the chances of getting it, especially if one or both parents are myopic.
Similarly, reading or studying all the time, watching television up close, or being addicted to the blue screens of our handheld devices, are risk factors for developing or worsening Myopia in children. They are not the root cause according to a recent documentary by ENDEVR3.
The Environment Factor
The environment we grow up in plays a big part in our development, especially in the case of our eyesight. It was Ian Morgan, an Australian researcher, who stumbled up on this realization.
