Commonly referred to as nearsightedness, myopia is the most common form of refractive error. (Compared to farsightedness, astigmatism, or presbyopia.)
How children complete their homework and adults send emails depends on our nearsightedness and myopia. However, high levels of myopia can hamper our ability to see at a distance and likely increases the risks of eye diseases in later years.
Unmanaged myopia will typically progress in children starting as young as infancy and continuing on until their early 20s. Many children start their first pair of eyeglasses when they reach school-age, especially if they spent too much time indoors. Modern research suggests that a lack of sunlight and exercise could be hampering our children’s eye health.
The Science Behind Nearsightedness
The shape of the eye is aspheric, nearly round, to allow light into our eyes, reach the optic nerve, and our brain translates these signals into vision. When the shape of the eyeball elongates (gets longer in shape), the light fails to enter the eye directly, which results in blurry vision.
Although researchers struggle to identify the causes of myopia, some factors that indicate myopia progression depends on:
- Nationality
- Region
- Excessive time spent indoors
- Usage of handheld devices, laptops or computers, or electronic devices in general
- Genetics
For more information about myopia & the effects on children, read more about myopia control here.