What is myopia?

Myopia, nearsightedness, is a common eye condition. If you are nearsighted, you can see objects near to you clearly, but objects farther away are blurry. It occurs when the shape of your eye causes light rays to bend incorrectly – the light rays focus at a point in front of the retina, rather than directly on its surface.

Myopia is the most common refractive error. There has been an increased prevalence of myopia globally in recent years. In the United States and Europe, approximately half of the young adults are myopic. The prevalence has doubled in the past 50 years. In China, 90% of teenagers and young adults suffer from myopia. It is estimated that one-third of the world’s population, 2.5 billion people, could be diagnosed with myopia by the end of this decade. The reason for this ”myopia-epidemic” is unknown, but many specialists believe it is owing to the increasing hours of screen time on tablets and computers, which leads to eye fatigue.