Rates of nearsightedness — also known as myopia — in the United States are on the rise. The myopia epidemic has gone from 1 in 4 Americans to nearly 1 in 2. Since the early 1970s, 25 % were nearsighted latest data from about 2000 is over 40%. While myopia doesn’t cause issues for most people those who are severely nearsighted (or patients with refractive error greater than -6.00D) account for ~9.6 million Americans.
In most cases, nearsightedness can be corrected with eyewear, contact lenses or surgery. However, severe nearsightedness can cause complications that threaten vision as much as diabetes or macular degeneration.
This 2016 study is based on federal data, plus an analysis of an American Academy of Ophthalmology database. The researchers estimate that nearly 820,000 Americans have a degenerative form of myopia called progressive high myopia, which can cause weakening of the retina. This cause case an greater rate of retinal disease in people who are otherwise healthy.
More than 40,000 of these individuals may also develop an even more serious condition called myopic choroidal neovascularization. This is a severe complication of myopia with abnormal fragile blood vessels growing underneath the retina that can bleed; a leading cause of vision loss in these patients.
First US Study of Severe Myopia
This is the first study of its kind to determine the prevalence of this debilitating disease in the US. Rates of progressive high myopia are higher among women than men — 0.42 percent versus 0.25 percent — and about 527,000 women have the condition, compared with 292,000 men, according to a June 2016 study in the journal Ophthalmology.
“The findings emphasize the growing issue of nearsightedness and the burden it creates in terms of medical complications that cannot be fixed with just glasses or contacts,” study lead author Dr. Jeffrey Willis, a retina fellow at the University of California, Davis Eye Center, said in a journal news release.
Dr Lauren Pachy, our resident expert on myopia management, recommends annual eye exams for persons who have severe levels of nearsightedness. “Regular and periodic eye exams can often detect more serious problems with severe nearsightedness when they remain treatable” according to Dr. Pachy.
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Schedule an appointment with one of our doctors to review your unique needs; want to slow down myopia in your child, schedule them with Dr. Pachy who specializes in myopia management.
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Posted June 2016.
