New Study Reveals Increased Myopia in Children

According to a recent research study funded by the National Center for Health Statistics, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Eye Institute (NEI), the presence of myopia has increased significantly over the past 30 years. The data from the “Increased Prevalence of Myopia in the United States Between 1971-1972 and 1999-2004” study shows that the prevalence of myopia in those ages 12-54 in the years 1999-2004 was more than 41 percent higher than in the same age group during the years of 1971-1972.

Of particular concern was the data that indicated increases in myopia among school-age children. Because so much of a child’s learning is done visually, healthy vision is critical to success in the classroom. The CDC states that more than 12.1 million school age children have some form of vision problem, yet only one in three children in America have received eye care services before the age of 6.
http://archopht.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/127/12/1632