Due to the abuse of devices and the excess of artificial light, the epidemic of myopia is accelerated

by time news

2023-05-28 04:55:00

By now we are used to reading about the medical calamities that brought the pandemic. From the “long covid” until the decrease in the controls of serious diseases and the increase in infections such as bronchiolitis. But little attention received another phenomenon that skyrocketed during confinement and affected the youngest: during the almost eight months of isolation the advance of myopia accelerated strongly.

It is not a minor issue, since its incidence it is increasing worldwide and is already one of the central causes of severe visual impairment.

As explained by the ophthalmologist Rafael Iribarrenmember of the Argentine Study Group of Myopia, this pathology is one of the most common ocular disorders and has also become one of the main causes of visual impairment in adults. The particular thing is that once it starts in the eyes of the little ones, if it is not treated, it can continue to increase in severity during childhood and adolescence.

Severe nearsightedness usually appears when children are in the first grades of school and can progress by up to one diopter point per year in early childhood and up to age 15. “Epidemiological studies show that, in 2010, the global prevalence of myopia was around 28% of the population. But, due to various social trends, it is estimated that by 2050, approximately half of the world’s population will be myopic,” this expert and consultant told PROFILE.

According to ophthalmologist María Marta Galán, a specialist in myopia and coordinator of research on this subject, before the covid, when people talked about the ‘pandemic’ of the 21st century, it was in reference to myopia. And he added: “Among the reasons migration to cities, urban lifestyles, the increased time we spend with artificial light, especially as children, and an increase in the use of device screens and ‘near’ vision” are identified. .

According to Galán, specialists are not only noticing an increase in incidence. “In addition, the boys begin to suffer from it from a very young age. When it appears, it is more serious before as it progresses further. In fact, a percentage will end up with a severe visual impairment.”

In Argentina, the epidemiological situation is similar to the global one. Perhaps better, since we have fewer “average” hours of schooling per student. “In 2022, we did a study in Bahía Blanca, on visual problems in people who enrolled in the University: 29% of the entrants had myopia. In other words, practically one in three, Iribarren explained to this newspaper.

And both experts added another piece of information: by analyzing the disability certificates issued for nine years at the Santa Lucía Hospital, it can be verified that myopia became the central cause of visual impairment in middle age. “They are people with ‘legal’ blindness, and this pathology exceeds the damage associated with glaucoma or maculopathy that climb to more advanced ages”, they explained.

The pandemic added gravity to the situation. In various countries, various “papers” documented that the isolation of children at home and the lesser “use” of natural light for daily activities increased the incidence of myopia. “In Argentina, moreover, it was found that among boys who spent many hours indoors, the “speed” of the disease increased. In other words, the annual progression rates during strict confinement took a leap and were up to 50% higher than those registered in previous years”, said Galán.

In other words, it was seen that the deterioration increased from an average to almost one diopter per year. All this in contrast to the general slowdown in progression that often occurs with growth. “I myself saw several children treated with drops for progression who had their myopia ‘arrested’ for years, but After months of being locked up, he advanced again”, Iribarren pointed out.

To the light

The irony is that preventing this situation of ocular deterioration, where what happens -basically- is that the person who suffers from it sees badly “from afar”, it is not only possible but also achieved with economic, accessible and healthy measures. To improve it in childhood, it may be enough for the little ones to spend at least a couple of hours a day outdoors, either playing, studying or spending time exposed to natural light.

Added to this is the fact that, if an ophthalmologist diagnoses it in time, it is possible –in children aged 6 or 7– to use certain eye drops or, eventually, prescribe special glasses, which help to slow down and, eventually, stop the progress of the illness. “With this – concluded Iribarren – we could prevent many future cases of people with severe visual impairment”.

Why leave the classroom?

What ophthalmologists propose to do prevention is to resort to tools that allow delay its onset or delay its progression. This is achieved by modifying habits and making, for example, that the boys spend at least 40 minutes a day of their school time outdoors. This helps the pathology to stabilize due to the maturation of the eye itself. Iribarren suggested that – in addition to the fact that boys should spend more time outdoors (ideally, 14 hours a week) – we must also add controlled use of screens and configure them with inverted colors so that when reading on devices white letters are used on a black background. It is also possible to use certain droplets of atropine diluted and special lenses. All these issues will be discussed during a forthcoming congress of experts (focusonmyopia.com). And both remember the importance to carry out detailed ophthalmological check-ups with all the children who start their schooling.

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