Two kids playing basketball on the court outside on a sunny day

Sustainability

The Impact of Myopia on Children's Vision

16 August 2024

Approximately, 30% of the world is currently short-sighted. A smaller part is affected by progressive myopia, a special form of nearsightedness that needs special management.Correcting myopia improves quality of life and education. For progressive myopia proven methods to manage it are available to improve vision and manage long term eye health.

The word myopia has become one of the most common words related to visual impairments worldwide. Should we be concerned about myopization, particularly in school children and teenagers? And what does ZEISS do, specifically in China, where the myopia rate among Chinese students under the age of 20 is now more than 80% reaching up to 90% in urban areas.

Meet Aidan and Reese, two children with big dreams affected by progressive myopia. Aidan already needs to wear glasses, and Reese will soon need them too.

Like a typical eleven-year-old, Aidan is ambitious: "My dream is to build a big house for my parents that is pollutant-free and environmentally friendly. I want to become an engineer and architect." Reese, at nine-years-old, has equally big aspirations: "When I grow up, I will either be a painter or a dancer – these are the only two options."

Their parents caught on to the vision impairment at an early stage.

Dandan Li, Aidan, Reese and Peijun Zhong taking a walk in the sunshine

"When they were seven or eight years old, the children took part in online lessons at home and spent a lot of time playing computer games and they would often squint their eyes. During the examination at the hospital, they were diagnosed with progressive myopia." Peijun Zhong, father of Aidan and Reese Zhong.

Uncorrected myopia can pose a significant challenge to children and affected individuals in everyday life. Simple tasks such as reading signs, recognizing people, reading words on boards in classroom etc. can become difficult. Participating in sports or driving with uncorrected myopia can be a safety issue. Objects in the distance may appear blurry and it might be difficult to judge distances accurately. Especially progressive myopia needs regular attention by eyecare professionals to manage it and limit its effect on child’s life, education and long-term eye health.

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Among students in urban areas of China, the rate of Myopia is reaching up to 90% and the age of children diagnosed with myopia is becoming younger and younger.

Dr. Xiaoqin Chen Director of Clinical Testing Department, Tianjin Eye Hospital Optometric Center

Aidan Zhong taking an eye test administered by Dr. Chen Xiaoqin

To learn more about the recent increase in diagnoses, ZEISS consulted Dr. Xiaoqin Chen, Director of Clinical Testing Department at Tianjin Eye Hospital Optometric Center, who shared her experience in managing myopia in China.

According to Dr. Xiaoqin Chen, if myopia worsens over time and reaches high levels, there can be further ocular complications, such as macular degeneration. The occurrence of such diseases could lead to blindness.

Eye care professionals measure the level of visual distortion and axial length of the eye using refraction devices, vision tests and biometers. With this information the strength of the required eyeglass lenses (in diopters) can be calculated, and a possible progression can be identified and monitored.

In recent years, the number of myopia diagnosis has been risen in Asian countries. In some urban regions in China, for example, nine out of ten people are affected by myopia before the age of twenty. Because of the spike, myopia has been classified as a pandemic in China. However, it is not only in China that the number of myopic people is increasing. This trend can be observed all over the world.
ZEISS works to limit the impact of myopia by offering solutions to correct the vision of myopic children and to manage myopia progression for those who need it. The focus lays on helping kids to be as unrestrained in daily lives as possible and enjoy life-long eye health.

By supporting people in China as well as other countries, ZEISS is working to increase awareness and prevent myopia.

Aidan Zhong looking at a pair of new glasses

Restoring quality of life – dioptre by dioptre

While there is currently no cure for nearsightedness nor progressive myopia, ZEISS is committed to supporting myopic children with single vision eyeglass lenses that help to correct their vision or myopia management solutions including special eyeglass lenses for those who are affected by the progressive form of nearsightedness.

"Glasses and contact lenses are now a common means of correcting myopia, and there are some special designs that can help to slow down the progression. We recommend that all short-sighted people have a check-up every year", says Dr. Chen. 

Aidan and Reese Zhong looking at a pair of glasses

A clear vision has the power to change lives

It might sound simple, but wearing prescription glasses or contact lenses can help make a big impact on the daily lives of those living with myopia.

Dandan, mother of Aidan, described the treatment plan given to her by the ophthalmologist: "We followed the doctor's instructions. The doctors recommended giving him atropine eye drops in low concentration as long as the diopter is not very high. Then, I bought him glasses to slow down the progression of myopia."

Myopia: Facts & Figures

50%

of the world's population could be myopic by 2025.
5 – 18%

of children in Asian countries, under the age of six years is myopic.
30%

of the world is currently short-sighted.

Myopia had a big impact on my children... It affected their performance in sports and their social lives. Now that they have corrective lenses, they can enjoy normal life again.

Dandan Li Mother of Aidan and Reese Zhong 

Aidan and Reese Zhong looking into a mirror

Prevention of Myopia

Prevention is key to reducing the number of myopia cases worldwide, and increasing public awareness is the first step. "There was a classmate in elementary school who wore glasses, and I wore glasses in middle school, but I knew very little about myopia back then," explained Dr. Chen.

Prevention strategies include:

Daily outdoor time in daylight at least for two hours.
Reduced work such as reading and screen time, which should always be interspersed with generous recreational breaks, ideally spent outdoors and preferably paired with physical activity.
Regular eye exams, preferably each year starting as early as possible because the risk of (severe) myopia is higher if the first signs appear before the age seven.

Aidan Zhong aiming a basketball throw on an outdoor court

While knowledge about myopia and its effects has developed since Dr. Chen was in school, there's still much research and information to be gained to reduce the number of people affected by the condition. "Many parents say they want to have their children's myopia treated. What we can do now is correct the myopia and slow down its progression, if a kid is affected by progressive myopia… Glasses and contact lenses are now a common means of correcting myopia," added Dr. Chen. ZEISS is supporting myopes around the world by creating awareness and offering treatment options such as traditional corrective single vision lenses or special lenses that help to manage the myopia progression effectively. They help children to see clearly once again and improve their quality of life.

ZEISS also offers eye care professionals advanced technologies, to make accurate and early diagnoses and provide solutions customized to the children's needs.

When I aim for the basket, I need a clear view. With my glasses, almost every shot is a hit.

Aidan Zhong passionate basketball player, China

Myopia (nearsightedness) is a form of visual impairment in which light rays entering the eye are focused in front of the retina. The image produced on the retina is blurred when the uncorrected eye looks into the distance and accommodation is relaxed. This optical defect of the eyes is usually caused by the eyeballs being too long.

Progressive myopia is characterized by the fact that it gets worse over time. The eyeball can continue growing for years beyond physiological normal with increased risk of high myopia of more than -5 dioptres.
Uncorrected myopia strongly impacts everyday life as you cannot see clearly in the distance (depending on the level of the impairment it can be severe). For school kids for example, it can become a challenge to follow the lessons.

Especially high myopia (worse than -5 diopters) can also manifest pathologically. In particular, an extreme elongation of the eyeball poses the risk of retinal detachment, macular degeneration or the development of cataract or glaucoma. That is why kids but also adults with progressive and/or high myopia should see an eye care professional regularly.
Myopia cannot be cured. But single vision eyeglass lenses and contact lenses are important visual aids that can correct the refractive error of the myopic eye. Unfortunately, those two are not able to manage the myopia progression. So once progressive myopia is diagnosed special solutions are needed. And in fact, today there are several approaches to control or manage myopia progression.

Eyeglass lenses with special lens designs: they are the most common method because – as a non-invasive method – they do not have the risks and side effects of other solutions. Furthermore, they have the advantage of combining two aspects: the correction of the refractive error while at the same time managing the progression.

Orthokeratology: The patient wears form-stable contact lenses at night to change the curvature of the cornea, so the wearer can see well without glasses during the day. These lenses have been shown to reduce the progression of myopia.

Soft, multifocal contact lenses: particular designs, so-called ‘center-distance’ lenses, provide a clear image on the fovea centralis (point of sharpest vision), but not in the periphery of the retina. They also have the advantage of combining the correction and control of myopia progression.

Pharmaceutical methods such as atropine eye drops have also been shown to be effective.

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