Short-sightedness (myopia) is a widespread visual defect. According to a WHO estimate, 50% of the world's population is expected to be affected by short-sightedness by 2050.1 Theonset of myopia is becoming increasingly common in childhood.
The innovative MiYOSMART spectacle lens for myopia management in children and adolescents can slow downthe progression of myopia by an average of 60%2 or stop it completely.
Studies suggest that myopia will continue to increase due to increasingdigitalization andchanges in children's lifestyles.3,4Children are using more digital devices, reading and learning on computers, and thus performing more activities in the near vision range. At the same time, they are spendingless time outdoors. Studies show that spending more time outdoors can reduce the risk of myopia.1 Whatexactly causes this effect is not yet fully understood scientifically.Genetic predisposition(e.g. myopia in parents) also plays a role in myopia.1
1 Theimpact of myopia and high myopia: report of the Joint World Health Organization-Brien Holden Vision Institute Global Scientific Meeting on Myopia, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia, 16-18 March 2015. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2017.
2 LamCSY, Tang WC, Tse DY et al. Defocus Incorporated Multiple Segments (D.I.M.S.) spectacle lenses slow myopia progression: a 2-year randomized clinical trial. British Journal of Ophthalmology 2020; 104: 363-368.
3 HoldenB.A., Fricke T.R., Wilson D.A., Jong M., Naidoo K.S., Sankaridurg P., Wong T.Y., Naduvilath T.J., Resniko S. Global Prevalence of Myopia and High Myopia and Temporal Trends from 2000 through 2050. American Academy of Ophthalmology. 05/2016, vol. 123, no. 5, p. 1036-1042. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ophtha.2016.01.006
4 HuangH-M, Chang DS-T, Wu P-C. The Association between Near Work Activities and Myopia in Children - A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. 2015. PLoS ONE 10(10): e0140419. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0140419.