Myopia, or short-sightedness, is on the rise.
Data from the BHVI predicts that by 2050 almost half of the global population could be affected by Myopia — more than a doubling of the rate from the year 2000.
Has the pandemic made it worse?
With increased amounts of screen-time, it feels intuitive that our eyes might have been put under more strain in the last two years — and there's a decent amount of scientific evidence to back that up, as myopia has long been associated with spending more time indoors.
Although there haven't been any conclusive studies in adults since the pandemic, a study of children in Hong Kong from 2021 found that "the rate of nearsightedness that developed during the pandemic more than doubled what was found in a pre-pandemic study of children the same age". Good time to be a glasses maker.
