Myopia is increasingly taking on the traits of an epidemic. The estimates are clear: according to the World Health Organization there will be 2.5 billion people affected by 2020. A trend confirmed by the experts of the Brien Holden Vision Institute, a non-governmental organization that deals with Australian research into ophthalmology: By 2050 there will be 5 billion people with this impairment.
Statistics show that East Asia is to be particularly affected. In urban areas of Singapore, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan and Korea myopia affects 80-90% of people who have finished school. In the United States the incidence among adults has grown from 25% in the early 70’s to 42% in 2004.
Moreover, shortsightedness is becoming more common in Europe, claims a study published recently in the journal of Ophthalmology. Researchers from several institutions focused on the relationship between levels of formal education and the incidence of myopia. The conclusion is that although higher levels of education will have increased the effect, this factor seems to be the only one associated with the disorder.
So myopia is caused by many different factors?
“It is actually determined by both genetic and environmental factors. We must not forget – said Dr. Paul Vinciguerra, director of the Center of Ophthalmology at Humanitas hospital – that myopia is a visual defect as a result of an on-going process of adaptation of the human organism. If you mainly perform activities closely, this adaptation leads to the development of a type of view in which near vision is very efficient at the expense of that from afar.”
What can I do if I have myopia?
“You must correct the defect and monitor progress with periodic visits to specialists. This is because myopia may predispose one of other visual problems such as strabismus or retinal diseases. It is important to note that full correction of myopia does not cause an increase later on, as it is falsely believed.”
Am I stuck with it forever?
“However, – concludes Dr. Vinciguerra – to be short-sighted nowadays is no longer a conviction as it was before. This is due to the cutting-edge technology such as the excimer laser. Thus, one can intervene surgically in patients whose myopia has stabilized.”
