Nearsightedness is a Public Health Crisis
A lot of kids today are at risk of developing vision-threatening eye conditions tomorrow.
Nearsightedness has risen dramatically over the last 50 years. If nothing is done to help slow the increase, half the world’s population may be nearsighted by the year 2050. That means much more than a lot of people in glasses. It means a lot of kids today are at risk of developing vision-threatening eye conditions tomorrow.
People who have myopia, also known as nearsightedness, can see close-up objects clearly, but objects farther away are blurry. Myopia that begins in early childhood often worsens as the child grows. If these changes are too extreme, it can be hard to correct the blurriness with glasses or contact lenses and the risk of potentially blinding eye conditions rises, including retinal detachment, glaucoma, early cataracts and myopic maculopathy, a leading cause of blindness world-wide.
In this video, Dr. Arturo Chayet, a Specialist in Cornea, Cataract, and Refractive Surgery (LASIK), founder and Medical Director of CODET Vision Institute, explains this condition and explains the 20-20-20 rule.