2023-12-07 10:28:40
High myopia, which exceeds six diopters, is increasing among adolescents, between 12 and 18 years old, affecting 8.2% compared to 1.2% five years ago. A myopia that poses a risk of blindness and retinal detachment. Beware of excessive use of screens.
That in just five years there will be six times more adolescents with high myopia is one of the main conclusions of the report “The state of visual health of adolescents in Spain” prepared by the public utility association Visión y Vida, the MAPFRE Foundation and Correos Express.
The study is based on the results obtained in the screening tests of the “See life in 4K” campaign with 4,420 valid tests; in a population report of a self-answered test by 3,688 young people; and an analysis of 763 myopes who attended their optician in 2022 and 2017, which allows us to verify the progression of their myopia in the period that has elapsed.
High myopia, the risks
In the five years analyzed, adolescent myopia has increased, on average, almost two diopters, from 1.50 diopters in 2017 to 3.4 today.
This activates the alarms derived from high myopia: “We must not forget the risks that high myopia entails, 10% of myopes with more than 15 diopters, according to the data,
will end in blindness and 60% of retinal detachments occur between
the big myopes”, explain Elisenda Ibáñez, study coordinatorio.
While in 2017 there was only 1.4% (right eye) and 1.2% (left eye) of high myopia, with more than six diopters, in 2022 it rises to 8.5% (right eye) and 7.9% (left eye).
General evolution of myopia between 2017 and 2022
If in 2017, seven out of ten adolescents had 2 diopters or less, in 2022 this will be reduced to only one in four.
On the other hand, the number of young people with myopia between 2.25 and 4.00 increases from 22.5% (right eye) and 26.9% (left eye) to 41.5% (right eye) and 39.6% % (left eye).
In the case of those who had between 4.25 and 6 (5.1% right eye and 6.6% left eye) they increase to 24.5% (right eye) and 25.2% (left eye).
“We are observing,” he adds, “a general shift in values towards the highest diopters,” says Elisenda Ibáñez.
They recognize that they see badly
This study explains that half of the respondents (both in the data obtained from the self-test and in the screening tests) believe that they see poorly or that they could see better and a large number of minors perceive many symptoms of visual problems.
Thus, between 37.1% and 45.3% state see double the boardbetween 25.1% and 20.3% 0% see better if cover one eye; between 34.8% and 47.2% encloses the eyes to see better; or 41.3% and 40.3% have dry eyes when you use screens.
Myopia and screens
Given that the evolution of current myopia derives from lifestyle, the use of screens is one of the factors to be analyzed, according to the study.
Almost seven out of ten teenagers use their cell phone before going to bed.
Lluís Bielsa, vice president of Vision and Life, warns: “We must keep in mind that until the child is seven years old, there is no recommended time for the use of screens in terms of visual health: their system is not developed to deal with it and it is best to limit their use until past that age.”
The expert offers seven reasons to avoid using screens before the age of seven:
Development of the visual system
Looking at a screen requires a lot of convergence effort which is counterproductive for an immature visual system.
Unnatural artificial light
Light should impact what we see and not be projected from it. This creates discomfort and tension when reading.
Prolonged viewing of screens makes the brain assume that its visual world is flat.
Many small stimuli in a restricted plane overstimulate the central visual field and unbalance visual awareness.
The use of screens and the lack of leisure time outdoors are factors that favor the appearance of myopia.
The demand when viewing the screen (very close to your face) is high in terms of ocular convergence (centering) and accommodation (focus). This limits eye movements.
Looking at screens reduces the frequency of blinking and this causes a lack of eye hydration, something that causes visual irritation and discomfort.
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