Growing Pains: The Incidence and Prevalence of Myopia from 1950 to 2050 *

Myopia has been included as one of the five serious ocular conditions leading to blindness. Prevalence of myopia (between -0.50D and -5.75D) is only of concern because it tends to progress. The incidence of high myopia and pathologic myopia are directly correlated to the prevalence of myopia. Recent studies have concluded that the mean age of onset of myopia is decreasing, the progression interval and the rate of progression is increasing, and the prevalence of high myopia is increasing in older age groups. These epidemiological changes have been associated with global urbanization. High myopia and older age are two primary risk factors for potentially blinding pathologic myopia. The prevalence of myopia by the year 2050 has been estimated to be 50%. Twenty-percent of those myopic individuals are projected to have high myopia. However, these calculations were made in 2016, prior to the COVID-19 quarantine and the increase in extreme climate events. Recent global events have resulted in permanent shifts in lifestyle that may accelerate the development and progression of myopia.