A study conducted in China has revealed that at least 1 in 3 children suffer from myopia, a short-sightedness problem.

The study, conducted by scientists from Sun Yat-Sen University in China, examined the distance vision of more than 5 million children and young people from 50 countries on different continents. The researchers found that at least one in every three children is myopic. Stating that they expect this rate to increase over time, the researchers concluded that approximately 740 million children and young people may have myopia by 2050.

The researchers, who found that myopia increased 3-fold to 36 percent between 1990 and 2023, stated that this eye defect increased significantly as the time spent indoors increased with the Covid-19 outbreak. Drawing attention to the importance of external factors in myopia, which also occurs due to genetics, the researchers stated that the problem of not being able to see far away clearly is 7 times more common in Asia, where children start education at an earlier age, compared to Africa. Stating that prolonged exposure to screens increases the risk of myopia, the researchers noted that girls, who spend less time outdoors compared to boys, are busy at home with activities that require looking at close range, such as reading, writing, playing computer games or looking at the phone screen for a long time.

Because of this, the researchers said, more myopia was detected in girls than boys. “It is important to recognize that myopia may become a global health problem in the future,” the study authors said. The research was published in the British Journal of Ophthalmology.

January 2025