Researchers today revealed that the UK’s shortsightedness rate has increased by almost 50% in three decades.
An analysis of over 100,000 Britons revealed that one-fifth of those born after WWII were affected, with the majority of these cases being diagnosed during childhood.
But rates of myopia — the medical name for short-sightedness — jumped to nearly a third in those born in the late 1960s, with half of cases occurring in adulthood.
The University College London scientists saw the greatest spike in adult cases and highest academic achievement.
Researchers at UCL suggested that the rising trend may be due to more school time being spent reading books. It could also be due to more Britons going to university or schools becoming more intensive.
According to the NHS, myopia is increasing among children and adults in Britain, with around a third having it.
Experts warn that this is due to the fact that children are spending more time indoors and less outside, and they’re also playing TV and video games.
University College London researchers have created a graph showing the percentage of each cohort that was affected by shortsightedness. They divided them into five year groups according to when they were born between 1970 and 1939. Around 20% of people born in 1940 were affected by the condition. There was a 13% prevalence in childhood and 7% in adulthood. The number rose to 46% by 1970 when 29% of the population was diagnosed with myopia. Myopia accounts for 15% of all cases in childhood, and 14% in adulthood.
The World Health Organization estimates more than half of the global population will be suffering from short-sightedness by 2050, compared to a third now, due to increases in time spent indoors and doing ‘near work’, such as spending more time on school work
If the eyes become too long it can cause light to concentrate just behind the retina instead of on it. Shortsightedness results in distant objects appearing blurred.
This condition is common in families. It has been associated with a tendency to focus on near objects such as computers and books for prolonged periods of time in childhood.
The condition is thought to affect around 20 million Britons, and about 137million Americans.
According to the World Health Organization, more than half of humanity will suffer from shortsightedness in 2050. This is due to increased time indoors and ‘near work’ such as schoolwork.
The data was based on the records of 107.442 Britons, aged between 40 and 69. They were all born between 1970 and 1939.
According to a study in PLOS ONE, shortsightedness rates have increased by 46% in 30 years.
Around 20% of the older group was born between 1939-1944. This can be corrected by glasses, contact lenses, or laser eye surgery.
However, the disease was more common in children born between 1965-1970.
Adults had the highest shortsightedness rate increase than those of children. However, myopia with child-onset was still much more prevalent.
There was also a greater increase in cases that were milder than those with severe symptoms.
You may notice signs such as rubbing your eyes, frequent rubbing of their eyes, and sitting next to the TV.
Researchers found that myopia risk, already greater for people with higher education, was higher in high-achieving Britons.
The academically best people were 2.7% more likely to become shortsighted if they were born before 1940. However, the most intelligent and educated were only 4.2 times as likely to get myopia.
Researchers concluded that myopia will increase, even in severe cases, if there is no improvement in education or intensification of childhood learning.
Other studies have pointed to an increase in screen time — such as staring at phones for too long or playing video games — as behind the rise, as well as children spending less time outdoors.