Myopia is the new global pandemic: WHO predicts 50% of the population will be affected by 2050. Discover the risks for children and essential strategies to protect their sight.
A real one silent pandemic it is advancing globally, with worrying estimates released by the World Health Organization: by 2050, it is expected that around 50% of the global population will be affected by myopia. The alarm is particularly strong for children, an age group in which myopic progression is most acute.
As explained by the optometrist and contactologist Laura Minguzzi to Tgcom24, «adults no longer develop axial myopia. Indicatively, the bulb grows for up to 25 years.” This means that childhood and adolescence are the critical periods. For prevent myopiaa change in habits is essential: children must spend more time outdoors, an activity that is beneficial for their eyesight, posture and even mood. Furthermore, it is crucial to limit the use of electronic devices, not recommending them for very young children, especially children aged 3, 4 or 5 years.
Triggering factors: environment and technology are the main culprits
Triggering factors: environment and technology, the main culprits.
The causes of myopic progression are multiple and complex. If in the past familiarity was considered the predominant factor, today the elongation of the eyeball is influenced by a series of elements, including the environmental factor plays a dominant role. Minguzzi underlines that by environment we mean the space in which the child grows: often these are closed places, from school to gyms, from singing courses to swimming. Children who live in cities, where spatial vision is limited, are more at risk than those who live in contexts with broad horizons, such as the mountains or the sea.
Another factor, again linked to the modern environment, is the intensive use of electronic devices. The blue light emitted by these screens appears to contribute to the elongation of the bulb, although biological and clinical studies are still underway to determine its exact impact. The most noticeable aspect, however, is the prolonged use of proximal vision. Optometrists have noticed that children tend to read or play with devices at a distance often less than 40 centimeters, the standard for near tests. This close and often inclined posture, in addition to directly influencing the eye, introduces a series of secondary, but no less important, problems.
Beyond sight: the physical repercussions of poor posture
Incorrect posture: the effects on the body that you don’t see immediately.
The consequences of uncorrected myopia or incorrect visual habits extend far beyond the simple vision problem. A short-sighted child who cannot see well tends to continually bend towards the notebook or tilt his head to the side, trying to make one eye dominate over the other. Furthermore, when using electronic devices, it is difficult to maintain a composed and correct posture like at a school desk. This involves the adoption of what experts define as an “anomalous head position”.
This incorrect posture has strong repercussions on the general health of the child, manifesting itself at the level of the cervical and of the whole part of the back. But the implications don’t stop there: they can extend into the legs and feet, with many children developing an incorrect footstrike position. It is clear, therefore, how two eyes that do not work properly can have significant consequences on the balance and well-being of the entire body, transforming a visual problem into a broader and more complex health issue.
