C54148: Myopia – part 1

Both the optical and tabloid press are eager to inform us that we are in the midst of a ‘myopia epidemic’. In their systematic review published in 2016 Holden, Fricke, Wilson, et al¹ estimated that the number of myopic individuals in 2000 constituted 23% of the global population. Their analysis predicts that by 2020 the myopic population will have increased to 34% of the total and that, by 2050, 50% of the world may be myopic (≥-0.50DS).

These projections obviously vary by geographical location and within population demographics. This potential twofold increase in the prevalence of myopia by 2050 has huge implications for the optometric profession. The optometrist’s traditional role in the supply of refractive correction is likely to expand to include the provision of a variety of interventions to arrest myopia development. The various interventions currently proposed for myopia prevention and their impact will be discussed in the second article in this series.