1 in every 3 urban kids in India will suffer from myopia by 2030: Health experts

As many as onethird of all urban children in India aged 515 years are expected to suffer from myopia by 2030 reveal eye doctors during the ongoing Myopia Awareness Week at Dr Agarwals Eye Hospital in MumbaiBy 2050 one out of every two children in the country will be myopic they have predicted based on the ongoing trend Studies show that in the 20year period from 1999 to 2019 the incidence of myopia among urban children has tripled in India from 444 percent to 2115 percent respectivelyDr Smit M Bavariya cataract surgeon shares her observation on witnessing a steady rise in the number of myopia cases in urban children ldquoAbout 120000 myopic patients under the age of 20 visit Dr Agarwals Eye Hospital every year across IndiardquoAlso Read How this miracle surgery saved the tongue of a 32yearold woman in MumbaiThe prevalence of myopia in 5 to 15yearold urban children increased from 44 percent in 1999 to 211 percent in 2019 Our predictions based on the slope of 08 percent every year indicate that the prevalence of myopia among urban children will increase to 3189 percent in 2030 40 percent in 2040 and 481 percent in 2050 This means that one out of every two children in India will be suffering from myopia in the next 25 years up from one in four currentlyDr Smit M Bavariya added ldquoThe patient profile has also been changing over the years Younger kids are now coming in frequently for an eye checkup and more and more of them are getting diagnosed with myopia We currently see many cases of moderate myopia in school going children between the ages of 5 to 17 years In 2017 our survey of 1000 children aged between 315 in an urban slum area of Mumbai found that 200 had myopiardquoA sedentary lifestyle prolonged screen usage and reduced outdoor activities are contributing to the rapid rise in myopia cases in children according to the doctor He further said that the root causes of this escalating issue are multifaceted Excessive screen time stimulates the eyes retina and brain of children leading to accelerated myopic changes due to rapid eyeball growth Additionally a decline in outdoor activities deprives children of essential natural light exposure crucial for healthy eye developmentDr Smit M Bavariya stressed upon the identifying the symptoms of myopia in children is important for early intervention Symptoms include blurry vision difficulty seeing distant objects eye strain headaches and fatiguemdashparticularly after prolonged screen useThough the condition cannot be cured it can be helped with glasses or contact lenses Laser vision correction treatment can also be opted after the age of 19 years But it is important to have regular eye checkup encourage children for outdoor activities to balance screen time and consider interventions like atropine eye drops or myopia control glasses to slow further progression of myopiaIt is important to detect and treat myopia promptly in children as any delay can lead to amblyopia lazy eye syndromeAlso Read Mumbai doctor helps pregnant woman with Type 1 diabetes deliver healthy baby