Short-sightedness ‘to affect half of global population by 2050’

A new study has indicated that short-sightedness is set to become a significantly more serious global health issue in the coming decades.

Led by the Brien Holden Vision Institute, in association with the University of New South Wales in Australia and the Singapore Eye Research Institute, the study extrapolated current trends in myopia development across the period from 2000 to 2050.

They estimated that half the world's population – nearly five billion people – will be short-sighted by 2050, with up to one-fifth of these being at a significantly increased risk of blindness.

Moreover, the number with vision loss from high myopia is expected to increase sevenfold, with myopia to become a leading cause of permanent blindness worldwide.

Key causes of this trend include lifestyle changes resulting from a combination of decreased time outdoors and an increase in near-work activities. As such, preventative strategies for those at risk could become more important than ever.

Professor Kovin Naidoo, chief executive officer of the Brien Holden Vision Institute, said: "These strategies may include increased time outdoors and reduced time spent on near-based activities, including electronic devices that require constant focussing up close."