1 in 3 children are now nearsighted globally. What’s behind the rise?

The study said the increase was 'notable' after the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, pointing to lockdowns that sent many children to learn online indoors.

A new study is warning that children’s eye health around the world may be on the decline.

Nearly one in three were nearsighted in 2023 and that’s expected to rise in the next two decades.

The study, published Tuesday in the British Journal of Ophthalmology, analyzed the results of 276 studies that involved more than 5.4 million children from 50 countries across six continents.

According to the numbers, those with nearsightedness rose from 24 per cent in 1990 to almost 36 per cent as of last year. But projections by the study’s researchers showed the number could hit almost 40 per cent in 2050.

Though the researchers said the rise in the rate of myopia has been gradual, the study said the increase was “notable” after the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, pointing to countries implementing lockdowns that sent many children to learn online indoors.

It said there has been concern a decrease in outdoor activity and an increase in screen time due to these “extended periods of staying indoors” may have had a potential negative impact on eye health.

Nearsightedness, also known as myopia, is a condition in which near objects can be seen clearly but distant objects are out of focus, according to the Canadian Association of Optometrists.

The study notes myopia typically starts in early childhood and “tends to worsen as individuals progress from childhood to adolescence and eventually into adulthood,” with younger children more susceptible due to environmental factors.