General Vision and Eye News
Nearsightedness Becoming More Common
BETHESDA, Md., January 2010 — The prevalence of myopia among Americans has increased significantly during the last 30 years, according to the National Eye Institute.
Researchers examined results from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey of people ages 12 to 54. The myopia incidence rate increased 25 percent from 1971 to 1972 and 41.6 percent from 1999 to 2004.
In both time frames, the prevalence was higher in white individuals than blacks. Myopia cases among black individuals increased by 13 percent from 1971 to 1972 and 33.5 percent from 1999 to 2004. Among whites, myopia prevalence increased by 26.3 percent from 1971 to 1972 and 43 percent from 1999 to 2004.
According to the report in the December issue of Archives of Ophthalmology, the high prevalence costs Americans billions of dollars each year in vision correction. The authors stated that identifying myopia risk factors could lead to more cost-effective strategies.