One Out Of Every Two Children In India Will Be Suffering From Myopia In The Next 25 Years, Warn Experts

By OB Bureau On May 25, 2024

covid 19 sore eyes — Representational image.

New Delhi: Half of all children will be afflicted with myopia or nearsightedness by 2050. This means they can see nearby objects clearly but struggle with those farther away. According to the data-based predictions undertaken by experts at Dr Agarwals Eye Hospital, an eyecare chain, “as many as one-third of all urban children in India aged 5-15 years are expected to suffer from myopia by 2030,” News 18 reported.

The predictions, based on the slope of 0.8 per cent every year indicate that the prevalence of myopia among urban children will increase to “31.89 per cent in 2030, 40 per cent in 2040 and 48.1 per cent in 2050”. This means “one out of every two children in India will be suffering from myopia in the next 25 years, up from one in four currently.” The data is in sync with findings at eye clinics where ophthalmologists are diagnosing more and more children with weaker vision.

Terming the surge as “an epidemic,” Dr Vijay Parbatani, consultant, of ophthalmology at Manipal Hospital in Kharadi, told News 18, “Now, myopia has become an epidemic among children in India. Just a decade ago, the percentage of myopia amongst children was 5 to 7 percent and today it has jumped to 20 to 25 percent. And now, it is expected that by 2050, every third child might be suffering from myopia in India.”

Similarly, Dr Himika Gupta, a consultant ophthalmologist at Mumbai-based SRCC Children’s Hospital told News18, that the myopia prevalence among urban children has “tripled”, blaming “increased screen time” as the prime reason.

“The trend marks a drastic increase from 1999 to 2019 where myopia prevalence among urban children tripled from 4.44 per cent to 21.15 per cent,” she said.

According to experts, the trend is more prevalent in urban kids due to reduced outdoor activities in urban is yet another risk factor. Dr Parul M Sharma, head of the department, at Fortis Eye Institute, Gurugram told News18: “This is more in urban kids which can start at any age from 3 years to 14 years old.” Sharma added that she has now observed a sharply rising trend in cases of myopia in the past 25 years of her career.

The symptoms

Any delay in detecting and treating myopia in children can lead to amblyopia also known as lazy eye syndrome, in which the weaker eye becomes worse.

Top symptoms include blurry vision, difficulty seeing distant objects, eye strain, headaches, and fatigue—particularly after prolonged screen use.

The causes of myopia

Early exposure of children to television and mobile screens is the biggest culprit. Doctors have also witnessed an influx of patients post-Covid, as amid the lockdowns children were exposed to digital screens and laptops – both for entertainment and studying.

Citing the guidelines published by All India Ophthalmological Society, Dr Sharma said that 40 to 120 minutes of outdoor time and sun exposure is associated with reduced incidence of myopia.