Is your child having issues with their vision? Maybe they’re having trouble seeing the board at school? If so, they could be part of a growing issue, in fact, it’s been called an epidemic.
We’re talking about what’s called “Myopia” in kids or nearsightedness.
7News Anchor Alison Starling talked to an expert from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Wilmer Eye Institute about this problem and what parents can do to slow down the progression.
7News Anchor Alison Starling: “Describe for me what you’re seeing about this increase in myopia for kids, is it dramatic?”
Dr. Michael Repka: “In the last few years, people have been really struck by an increased number of children, say in elementary school, that are developing nearsightedness.”
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There are likely two things to blame, Dr. Michael Repka said. First, and not surprising to parents, the dramatic increase in screen time.
“Some people are blaming it on a lot of near work and a lot of parents would say ‘that’s all device time my child is doing,” said Dr. Repka. “The use of devices, which are predominantly used at near focus, causes our eyes to spend a lot of time at a near focus– something in days gone by children would not have done if they would have been outdoors playing in outdoor light. Maybe it’s the interaction or the combination of those two factors, less outdoor light and more screen time that is propelling the eye to adapt to that use. Let’s get outside a little bit more. There are certainly other health benefits but let’s add the myopic progression or myopia prevention to that.”
Myopia or nearsightedness means you can see clearly close up, but far away things appear blurry. And the numbers are staggering, you can see why experts call it an epidemic.
A study in the journal of the American Medical Association shows an estimated increase in myopia from 25% in the 1970s to 41% in 2004. And the numbers are expected to go even higher. The World Health Organization predicts half the world’s population will be myopic by the year 2050.
7News Anchor Alison Starling: “What’s the most important thing parents can do to try and stave off this development of myopia?”
Dr. Repka: “Stopping myopia is something we didn’t even talk about a decade ago in this country but in the last decade or so, myopia control as the field is called has ballooned.”
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That includes glasses and contacts, eye drops, refractive surgery and other interventions that are now being tested. Dr. Repka said it’s critical to take this issue seriously now because the long-term effects on the eye can be devastating.
“50-60 years from now the eyes are at risk for macular degeneration, retinal detachment and cataract much more often in eyes that are myopic than in eyes that are not, and in some of those conditions it’s unrecoverable visual loss,” Dr. Repka said.
So first, get an eye exam for your child, even just to establish a baseline.
Second, set some screen time boundaries. Dr. Repka said official recommendations are still being developed but find something that seems reasonable to you as a parent.
Finally, get your kids outside, for at least 45 minutes a day.
