Yasmina Kattou, edited by Solène Leroux
40% of the population suffers from this visual disorder which makes it difficult to see from afar. In 30 years, more than half of the world could see hazy WHO alert. It is particularly important to pay attention to children, while in Asia 90% of children and adolescents are nearsighted according to the magazine “The Lancet”. In France, experts are calling for it to be made a public health issue.
Towards an “epidemic” of myopia? The number of nearsighted people increases every year in the world. In Asia, where there is a genetic predisposition, 9 out of 10 children wear glasses to see from afar. This could soon be the case in France if nothing is done. In France, 20% of children under 9 are myopic. This figure is likely to increase because of our increasingly urban lifestyles, indoors and in front of screens. There is certainly the hereditary side: with two myopic parents, the risk of suffering from myopia is multiplied by six.
Avoid myopia with outdoor activity
But even with genetic factors, preventive measures help to avoid developing the disease. “At least 40 minutes of outdoor sports activity per day, but also keep reading materials as far away as possible from the eyes, about 30-40 centimeters”, explains Gilles Martin, ophthalmologist at the Rothschild Foundation hospital. “And when you’re doing prolonged near-vision activities, you have to take breaks every 20 minutes, looking away for 20 seconds.”
If myopia appears, glasses are not the only treatment. Eye drops or nighttime contact lenses are prescribed to halt the progression in children. The goal: to avoid high myopia which affects 5 to 10% of French myopes and which can lead to total loss of sight.