Myopia Epidemic

Myopia Epidemic

Myopia is the most common ocular disorder worldwide, it is the leading cause of visual impairment in children, and its incidence is increasing rapidly.1,2 In 2010, an estimated 1.9 billion people (27% of the world’s population) were myopic, and 70 million of them (2.8%) had high myopia. These numbers are projected to rise to 52% and 10%, respectively, by 2050 (Figure).1

<p>Figure. Current and projected 2050 myopia prevalence by region. <em>(Reproduced with permission of Johnson & Johnson Vision and Holden BA, Fricke TR, Wilson DA, et al. Global prevalence of myopia and high myopia and temporal trends from 2000 through 2050. Ophthalmology. 2016;123(5):1036-1042.)</em></p>
Figure. Current and projected 2050 myopia prevalence by region. (Reproduced with permission of Johnson & Johnson Vision and Holden BA, Fricke TR, Wilson DA, et al. Global prevalence of myopia and high myopia and temporal trends from 2000 through 2050. Ophthalmology. 2016;123(5):1036-1042.)

 

Figure. Current and projected 2050 myopia prevalence by region. (Reproduced with permission of Johnson & Johnson Vision and Holden BA, Fricke TR, Wilson DA, et al. Global prevalence of myopia and high myopia and temporal trends from 2000 through 2050. Ophthalmology. 2016;123(5):1036-1042.)

Myopia is a major public health concern in many East Asian countries, where the condition affects 80% to 90% of high school graduates. Of these individuals, 10% to 20% have sight-threatening pathologic myopia.2,3

Vision impairment related to myopia has a significant economic impact and a significant effect on quality of life regarding patients’ physical, emotional, and social functioning.4 Smith et al estimated the loss in world productivity caused by uncorrected myopic refractive error in 2004 to be 268.8 billion international dollars and the cost of addressing this problem to be US$28 billion.5

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