People with myopia are more likely to become visually impaired or blind after their 60s, a new French study reveals.
In France, 20.48% of children aged 0 to 18 and 37% of adults are myopic, revealed researchers from the Poitiers University Hospital in June 2019. That is to say that they see clearly up close but blurry far.
And according to the same researchers, according to a study carried out in collaboration with the Point Vision center and revealed on Monday, September 23 by The Parisianpeople with this disorder are more likely to become visually impaired or blind after their 60s.
To reach this worrying conclusion, the researchers followed 200,000 myopes. They were thus able to observe that the risk of complication increased by 40% when the degree of myopia of a person rose by 1 diopter (the unit of measurement making it possible to evaluate the importance of an optical defect). Thus the risk of degeneration exists even in people with moderate myopia. In all, 25% of myopes become visually impaired or blind after their 60s, the researchers found.
The lack of natural light in question
At issue: our way of life and the decrease in outdoor activities while the intensive use of screens increases from an early age. In June 2018, researchers had already confirmed the hypothesis that the lack of natural light was an important trigger in the development of myopia. They identified 161 new genes responsible for the development of myopia, the vast majority of which trigger this eye disease when they do not receive enough light while being very stressed.
“There is an abandonment of life in the open air that our grandparents could have had. Today we work a lot on screens and closer and closer. Having your children play outside every day can, for example, counter the appearance of myopia”, explains today Pr Nicolas Leveziel, of the CHU of Poitiers, at the Parisian.
“Regular follow-up is necessary, especially for those who have undergone refractive eye surgery such as laser”, he continues, inviting those affected to find out about the website of the AMAM association (Association for the fight against myopic maculopathy). “These results should encourage myopes, and especially those with moderate to high myopia, to regularly consult an ophthalmologist,” adds the Point Vision group.
2.5 billion myopes by 2050
Myopia usually appears during childhood or adolescence. When it is mild or moderate, it develops until around age 25, when it tends to stabilize. In this case, myopia does not exceed -5 to -6 diopters. Certain strong myopias, called “disease myopias”, on the other hand evolve throughout life and go beyond -6 diopters (up to -30 diopters). In this case, in addition to regular monitoring by an ophthalmologist, they require adaptation of optical correction throughout life.
Be careful, however: when a young person begins to suffer from distance vision disorders, it happens very gradually and he generally does not complain about it until very late. In the meantime, he will tend to try to compensate for this visual loss by moving closer and squinting to read, which can lead to serious migraines.
By 2050, 2.5 billion people should be affected by myopia, ie half of humanity. Experts predict as many potential cases of low vision and blindness.
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