Dr. Zakariya Waqar-Uddin column: short sightedness - a worrying trend

Though there was a noticeable surge during the pandemic, numbers affected have been increasing steadily over the last several decades. At the present time, one in three children worldwide are short-sighted. Yet this may rise to fifty percent by 2050.

Contrary to the norm for many illnesses, it is a condition more common in affluent, educated communities.

Indeed, when the school leaving age was raised from 15 to 16 in the 1970s, this extra year of education had a noticeable impact on numbers of children and teenagers with myopia.

Does this mean is education bad for you? The answer is both yes and no.

When born, most babies are long sighted. Sight becomes perfect around the age of one year old.

There is a genetic element to short sightedness, with children of parents with the condition more likely to develop it.

Yet in countries where education starts early, myopia is vastly more common. Singapore is hailed as the myopia capital of the world. Here and in many other Asian countries, formal education starts at age two. The rate of myopia among young adults in Singapore is 80%.

However, in many African countries, where schooling begins at 6 to 7, figures for myopia are much less.

Many studies show that lengthy periods of time spent in the classroom, without breaks, crucially in artificial light, cause the eyeball to elongate.

When this happens, an image is focussed in front of the retina, rather than on it. This is the definition of shortsightedness. It requires correction in the form of wearing glasses or contact lenses so that the picture is clear.

While wearing glasses may be seen as a minor irritation, the issues do not end there. Short sightedness is linked to other eye problems later in life including glaucoma and retinal detachment.

So, should we abandon education, to save our sight?

Clearly this is not a sensible suggestion. Education is undoubtably associated with multiple health benefits and greater independence.

Many experimental solutions have been tried to prevent the rising numbers of children with myopia.

In China, education has been conducted in glass boxes, which allow natural light to flood in. The biggest issue is the extra cost to maintain a safe temperature within these glass classrooms.

Pulsing red light into children’s eyes for a few minutes a day, five days a week has shown promising results. At the present it is still in the experimental stage.

We know that excess screen time can cause eye strain and headaches. Many children from toddlers upward are now fully able to use mobile phone and tablet devices. Most research has focussed on how these are detrimental to children’s health in other ways. At the present time, it cannot be definitely said that screen time is linked with short-sightedness, though it is undoubtedly a cause of eye strain and headaches.

That being said, it is advised that children under 18 months old have no screen time, and that primary school children are limited to 1 hour a day. This is obviously very difficult when many classroom activities now involve the use of tablet devices.

The two most significant actions that may reduce your child’s risk of developing myopia are perhaps the easiest to achieve.

Recognising your child is short sighted is the first. Typically, your child will hold anything they are observing unnaturally close to them. They may appear to be straining when they look at an object. Rubbing the eyes is often observed.

Children with undiagnosed shortsightedness do not achieve as well as children with normal sight.

A study from China showed that correcting early myopia with a pair of glasses had a more of a positive impact on the child’s educational progress than family wealth or how educated their parents were.

The second intervention is even simpler. Allow your child to play out. Lots of natural light has been shown to be one of if not the best strategy in preventing childhood myopia.

Apart from the sight test at birth, it is recommended that you get your children’s eyesight tested regularly, usually from the age of seven onward. Those with a family history of sight issues, or if there is a concern over their vision, may benefit from earlier testing.

At the present time, one in three children worldwide are shortsighted. Yet this may rise to fifty percent by 2050.

Short sightedness is linked to other eye problems later in life including glaucoma and retinal detachment.

Typically, your child will hold anything they are observing unnaturally close to them. They may appear to be straining when they look at an object. Rubbing the eyes is often observed.

USEFUL WEBSITES

https://www.myopiaawareness.org/uk

https://www.sightresearchuk.org/

https://www.rnib.org.uk/

Dr. Zakariya Waqar-Uddin, General Practitioner