Unfortunately for those suffering from myopia, there’s no proven cure for it. There are plenty of actions that could lead to developing the awful condition. But heredity can also play a major role, and there’s pretty much nothing you can do about that if it’s your case.
According to Statista.com, it was estimated back in late 2019 that a number of 2.6 billion people would be suffering from myopia or nearsightedness in 2020. Therefore, there’s no wonder why myopia is even considered an epidemic by some scientists in the present.
An epidemic of myopia or nearsightedness
According to ScienceAlert.com, scientists are currently warning the world about an epidemic of myopia or nearsightedness. They rely their claim on the sharp increase of adult onset of myopia for late baby boomers.
Researchers collected data from over 100,000 participants in the Biobank program from the UK. They discovered that those individuals who were born in the late 1960s have 10 percent higher chances of being near-sighted compared to those who were born three decades later.
The researchers explain in their study paper from PLOS ONE the following:
It is now a pressing public health concern internationally, with an emerging ‘epidemic’ of myopia, characterized by increased prevalence accompanied by a whole population shift in distribution towards younger age at onset and greater severity.
When it comes to possible reasons for the jump, the researchers didn’t hesitate to mention a few: changes in nutrition during childhood, more usage of digital screens, and more.
The researchers wrote:
There has been a shift over time in the proportion of children opting to stay in higher and further education and, in parallel, changing methods of teaching, widespread use of TV and more recently the widespread use of electronic screen devices and extension of such activities into free time.
In the end, doing our best to take good care of our eyesight is one of the best things we can do.
