Early-onset myopia in childhood carries a greater risk of developing high myopia, a serious condition associated with severe ocular disease, such as retinal detachment, retinal atrophy, maculopathy, cataracts, glaucoma, and permanent vision loss.
Myopia is associated with excessive growth of the eye and associated blinding conditions. The World Health Organization predicts that half the world’s population will have myopia, or short-sightedness, by 2050. At the Lions Eye Institute, we are investigating ways to identify the causes, early interventions, and treatments to help prevent severe myopia.
Professor David Mackey AO and Dr Samantha Lee are working to create a new standardised paediatric eye-growth chart to monitor and track the development of myopia in Western Australian children. This project will build upon the existing ORIGINS study and the Raine study, one of the world’s largest and most successful studies, which has been tracking eye health in Western Australian children for over 30 years. By examining eye growth in relation to other factors like height and time spent outdoors, the researchers hope to identify early indicators of myopia and intervene before it progresses to more serious conditions.
Professor David Mackey AO
Global rates of myopia are rising rapidly. In China, over 90 per cent of university students are affected, and in Australia, approximately 6 million people (more than 20 per cent of the population) live with myopia. If current trends continue, that number could rise to 50 per cent by 2050. What’s driving this surge in myopia, and how can we reduce the risk, particularly for our children?
In a recent study, Professor Mackey and his team looked at the effects of screen time and other habits on myopia development. The findings showed that spending time on small screens, like phones, did not seem to have a major impact on myopia. Watching TV didn’t either. However, activities like reading books and working on large computer screens were linked to higher rates of myopia, particularly when these activities were coupled with limited outdoor exposure.
For most people, myopia is a manageable condition that can be corrected with glasses or contact lenses. However, for those with severe myopia, the risks are far more serious. These individuals are at higher risk of developing serious complications that can lead to permanent vision loss.
That’s why early intervention is critical. The Lions Eye Institute is investigating eye growth and genetic factors in children to develop population-based tools for predicting which children need early intervention. By measuring children’s axial length (the length of the eye from front to back), the team hopes to identify children at risk of severe myopia before it progresses to more harmful stages. This will allow us to start earlier myopia preventions such as low concentration atropine drops, which we’ve shown is effective in slowing growth in axial length
We thank Channel 7 Telethon Trust, Wen Giving and the Western Australian community for their generous support, which enables the Lions Eye Institute to continue vital investigations into blinding eye conditions affecting children across the state.
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