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Vision for the future: pioneering strategies in China’s battle against myopia

Eye (2024)Cite this article

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Recently, a marked increase in screen time and a corresponding decrease in outdoor activities have led to a global surge in myopia, especially among children and adolescents. By 2020, about 30% of the global population was affected by myopia, with projections suggesting that this figure could approach 50% by 2050 [1]. The global economic impact of uncorrected myopia and myopic macular degeneration in 2015 was estimated at about $244 billion USD and $6 billion USD, respectively, with East Asia bearing the largest share [2, 3]. In China, the escalation of myopia, especially high myopia, particularly among school-aged children, poses a significant public health challenge. The 2020 prevalence among Chinese children and adolescents reached 52.7%, with high myopia at 17.6% among high school students [4].

Myopia occurs when the human eye, in a state of relaxed accommodation, focuses parallel light rays in front of the retina due to alterations in the refractive system of the eye. It is categorized into refractive myopia, where the refractive index anomalies cause excessive refractive power while maintaining normal axial length, and axial myopia, the more common type, characterized by an extended axial length beyond the normal [5]. Axial elongation, a key factor in ocular development, is strongly linked to refractive errors [6]. Genetic predispositions significantly influence high myopia, particularly in children of myopic parents, with increased risks correlated with the degree of parental myopia [5]. Additionally, environmental factors like extensive near-work exacerbate myopia development, whereas outdoor activity inversely impacts its progression [7].

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Funding

This work was supported by The Beijing Natural Science Foundation (7232134); National Key R&D Program of China (2022YFC2407404); Special Research Fund for Central Universities, Peking Union Medical College (2022-I2M-C&T-B-065, 2022-I2M-C&T-B-060); National High-Level Hospital Clinical Research Funding (2022-PUMCH-A-018, 2022-PUMCH-C-043); Beijing Municipal Science & Technology Commission (Z211100002921058).

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  1. These authors contributed equally: Yurong Tuo, Guochao Zhang.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ophthalmology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China

    Yurong Tuo

  2. Department of Thoracic Surgery, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China

    Guochao Zhang & Hang Yi

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  1. Yurong Tuo
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Contributions

TY—study concept, analysis, manuscript preparation; ZG—analysis, manuscript preparation; YH—study concept, analysis, manuscript preparation. All authors have reviewed and approved the final version of this manuscript. TY and ZG contributed equally to this work as co-first authors.

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Correspondence to Hang Yi.

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Tuo, Y., Zhang, G. & Yi, H. Vision for the future: pioneering strategies in China’s battle against myopia. Eye (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41433-024-03250-7

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