Scientists warn that humanity should prepare for the «epidemic» myopia due to a sharp increase in cases of visual impairment.
A group of scientists from different research institutions in the UK during the study concluded that the number of people with myopia has increased dramatically. This also applies to middle-aged people who were born in the late 1960s — early 1970s and the younger generation. This is due to the combination of genetic and environmental factors, including the large amount of time that people began to spend in front of the screen, first TVs, and then computers and other modern gadgets.
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The number of people with myopia increased by 10% among those born in the late 1960s. Their vision impairment occurred at a later stage in their lives. Similar processes are also observed in the younger generation, and one of the factors is the increase in the amount of time that people spend in front of the screens of modern gadgets.
«We are on the verge of «epidemic» myopia. This disease is spreading at a rapid pace and more and more young people are suffering from it», the authors of the study say.
According to scientists, among people who were born between 1965 and 1970, the number of cases of myopia that occurred later in their life increased by 13%. .
«More people began to devote time to their education, they began to receive more visual information, there is a sharp increase in the use of electronic devices with screens. People began to spend more time not in the open air, but together with modern gadgets», scientists say.
Now myopia has begun to manifest itself at a younger age in more people. And the most alarming thing is that visual impairment is becoming more severe than before, scientists say. Researchers believe that a more thorough study of how various factors affect the risk of myopia should be carried out. This also applies to studies of genetic predisposition and the influence of the environment.