Children twice as likely to be short-sighted than 50 years ago

Report reveals short-sightedness twice as prevalent now than in the 1960s

Young girl choosing frames at an optician's
The study provides vital information on how children's eyes grow and change in the 21st century Credit: Photo: Alamy

Short-sightedness has more than doubled in UK children in the last 50 years, according to a recent study.

The condition, known as myopia, is more than twice as prevalent among children now, with 16.4 per cent of children suffering from short sight compared to 7.2 per cent in the 1960s.

And those with one parent who has myopia are at least three times more likely to be myopic than those without, according to the researchers from Ulster University.

"These results...could ultimately enable us to inform how optometrists practice and give advice to parents to help them protect their children's eyesight."
Professor Kathryn Saunders

This increases to over seven times more likely if both parents are myopes and the condition is most likely to occur between the ages of six and 13 years.

However, the prevalence of myopia in white children in the UK is much lower than in Asian countries - where the majority of school leavers are myopic.

In South Korea, for example, a massive 96.5 per cent of 19 year olds have the condition.

 

The data, which was gathered from more than 1,000 children over six years, provides vital information on how children's eyes grow and change in the 21st century.

It was the largest longitudinal research ever undertaken in the UK to examine changes in children's vision and cycloplegic refractive error - the inability for muscles to focus the lens - over time.

The Northern Ireland Childhood Errors of Refraction (NICER) study was jointly funded by the College of Optometrists and Ulster University and published in PLOS ONE.

Lead investigator, Professor Kathryn Saunders, said: "These results give us a clear picture of how children's eyes are developing.

"It could ultimately enable us to inform how optometrists practice and give advice to parents to help them protect their children's eyesight.

"This could include having recommended ages for eyesight testing or teaching them the specific risk factors that should indicate a sight test is needed."

Mike Bowen, Director of Research for the College of Optometrists, encouraged parents to ensure that they get their children's eyes tested, particularly if the parents were short-sighted due to the hereditary nature of the condition.

He said: "Research suggests that early intervention can help slow down further increases in myopia, so sight tests in children at most risk of developing myopia are very important."

In some areas children may receive vision screening in their first year of school, when they are aged four or five.

Dr Susan Blakeney, Clinical Adviser for the College of Optometrists, said parents of children who don't receive an eye test at school should take them for one at the opticians, which is paid for by the NHS.

She said: "Children do not have to be able to read to have a sight test.

"Your optometrist will then be able to advise on when your child should be seen again."

Some research in other countries has suggested that spending time outdoors may protect against the onset and progression of myopia.

However, the results of this study don't seem to support those findings - although it is something the researchers will continue to investigate.

Those involved with the study are currently re-testing the original two groups of subjects nine years after their original test date to further monitor changes in eyesight.

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