Experts chart rapid rise of medical condition set to hit 740m children by 2050 – girls are more at risk than boys

Parents are being warned of the rapid rise in short sightedness in children, as a third of kids now need glasses according to landmark global study. 

According to the research, cases among children and teenagers set to top 740million cases by 2050.

Experts have long warned it is because youngsters are spending less time outdoors and more time watching TV and playing video games.

But scientists said Covid, which saw millions forced to stay indoors, may have ‘accelerated vision deterioration’ in kids.

Short-sightedness, or myopia, is a growing global health concern which is set to affect millions more children by 2050, the study warns.

The research published in the British Journal of Ophthalmology analysed 276 studies found that global rates of myopia have tripled between 1990 and 2023, rising to 36 per cent.

The prevelance has been increasing each decade from the 90’s — between 2001-2010 25.3 per cent of young people had the condition compared to 29.7 between 2011-2019. 

Experts have long warned it is because youngsters are spending less time outdoors and more time watching TV and playing video games

The World Health Organization estimates more than half of the global population will be suffering from short-sightedness by 2050, compared to a third now, due to increases in time spent indoors and doing ‘near work’, such as spending more time on school work

There is also stark veriation in rates across the globe.  

In the UK, Ireland and the US around  15 per cent of children currently suffer from the condition. 

The highest rates are in Asia – 85 per cent of children in Japan and 73 per cent in South Korea are short-sighted with more than 40 per cent affected in China and Russia.

It is believed that the age children start education has an impact, in Asia it is common for kids to start school at the age of 2 and the researchers believe this part of the reason for the global disparity. 

While in Africa, where schooling generally starts when children are six, myopia is seven times less common than in Asia.

The World Health Organization estimates more than half of the global population will be suffering from short-sightedness by 2050, compared to a third now, due to increases in time spent indoors and doing ‘near work’, such as spending more time on school work

Girls are also likely to have higher rates than boys because they tend to spend less time doing outdoor activities at school and are at home as they grow up, researchers also suggested.

This most recent surge may be attributed partly to the COVID-19 pandemic and the transition to more remote-based learning, suggested the authors.

UK eye experts are advising parents to make sure children to spend at least two hours outside every day, particularly between the age of seven and nine, to reduce their chances of being short-sighted.

‘The concern over short sightedness cannot be overstated. Some of the things that are causing near sightedness at such high rates are themselves unhealthy, like spending less time outdoors,’ says Professor Nathan Congdon from Queen’s University Belfast.

‘In this sense, rising nearsightedness is a “canary in a coal mine” for concerning lifestyle changes,’ he says. 

‘First and foremost, do everything you can to encourage your child to get outdoors every day, ideally for 2 hours.’ 

The Professor also warns that video games are having an impact and recommends  booking an eye test when your child gets to school age. 

It is not clear if it is the presence of natural sunlight, the exercise taken outdoors or the fact that children’s eyes are focusing on objects that are further away that makes the difference.

‘There is something about being outside that is a real benefit to children,’ Daniel Hardiman-McCartney, clinical adviser from the UK College of Optometrists, said.

Although the risk factors are not fully understood there is also a genetic element to short sightedness. 

 ‘Children of two parents with myopia have a higher risk of developing the condition compared to those with one myopic parent. If one parent has myopia, the child’s risk for developing myopia is around 1.5 times greater. If both parents are shortsighted, the child’s risk for myopia is 2.7 times greater,’ Dr Janice Lam, consultant paediatric ophthalmologist at the National University Hospital, Singapore, told the Metro.

Myopia cannot be cured but it can be corrected with glasses or contact lenses.

The World Health Organization estimates more than half of the global population will be suffering from short-sightedness by 2050 due to increases in time spent indoors and doing ‘near work’, such as school work.