Ophthalmology and Visual Impairment Studies

Myopia, amblyopia, and uncorrected refractive errors affect hundreds of millions of people worldwide, and the epidemiology of these conditions maps how their burden is distributed across populations, age groups, and geographies. Childhood myopia in particular has surged in prevalence over recent decades, prompting researchers to disentangle genetic predisposition from environmental drivers such as limited outdoor time and prolonged near work. Large-scale prevalence studies now inform public health policy and screening programs, while clinical trials evaluate how interventions like low-dose atropine and orthokeratology can slow the progression of myopia before it reaches sight-threatening severity. Central open questions include why the global rise in myopia is steepest in East Asian populations, and whether population-level behavioral interventions can meaningfully bend the prevalence curve before a predicted epidemic of high myopia and its associated complications—retinal detachment, glaucoma, and irreversible vision loss—matures fully.

Works

86,833

Total citations

1,170,008

Keywords

MyopiaVisual ImpairmentEpidemiologyRefractive ErrorGlobal PrevalenceChildhood Myopia