Truth or myth: Only high levels of myopia increase the risk of ocular disease and permanent vision loss? Answer: Myth

^{Figure 1: Results showing extent of agreement or disagreement with the statement ‘Any level of myopia is a risk factor for ocular disease.’ Data is from 2022 for all markets except Russia, which is from 2021}

Myopia is increasing in prevalence globally and is estimated to affect 4.8 billion people by 2050,¹ representing approximately half of the world’s population. The prevalence of high myopia is estimated to reach one billion by 2050.¹

Every diopter increase in myopia has been shown to be associated with an increased risk of potentially sight threatening ocular diseases such as myopic macular degeneration, glaucoma, retinal detachments and cataract.²