08.10.2026

Short-sightedness: a health issue affecting our eyes

Myopia is now a major public health issue. This vision disorder is increasing at an alarming rate worldwide. Understanding its mechanisms, risk factors, consequences and ways of preventing it is essential, both for patients and for healthcare professionals.

What is short-sightedness?

Health Organization (WHO) estimated that 50% of the world’s population would be myopic by 2050. This raises several concerns, including the cost of managing visual impairments on a large scale and the costs associated with potentially blinding conditions caused by high myopia. Reducing myopia progression by just 1 dioptre (D) would be enough to lower the risk of ocular complications by 40%.

From an anatomical perspective, myopia occurs when the eye is too long (axial myopia) or has excessive refractive power (index myopia). As a result, the image of a distant object forms in front of the retina, causing blurred distance vision.

Myopia is classified into several degrees of severity:

Mild: up to −3 D
Moderate: from −3 D to −6 D
High: greater than −6 D, often associated with ocular complications.

Why are there more and more people with short-sightedness?

The rise in short-sightedness is due to a combination of factors. Genetic factors may partly explain it: children of short-sighted parents are more likely to be short-sighted themselves (the risk increases by a factor of 3.3 if one parent is short-sighted and by a factor of 6.4 if both parents are short-sighted). However, research into genetic factors accounts for only 18 per cent of the hereditary component of short-sightedness.

Environmental factors have a major influence on the development of short-sightedness, particularly given our current lifestyle. Indeed, prolonged screen use, close-up activities (reading, working on a computer, etc.) and a lack of exposure to natural light are key contributing factors. The COVID-19 pandemic, which has created ideal conditions for this lifestyle to take hold, has led to a sharp increase in cases of myopia amongst children during this period of lockdown.

What are the consequences for the eye?

Short-sightedness is not merely a visual impairment. When classified as high myopia (exceeding -6D), it may be accompanied by anatomical changes in the eye, increasing the risk of eye conditions:

Glaucoma: high intraocular pressure threatening the optic nerve
Peripheral retinal degeneration with a risk of retinal detachment: as the retina is more stretched, thinner and therefore more fragile
Early-onset cataracts
Macular degeneration

It is therefore essential to carry out regular dilated fundus examinations in patients with high myopia to detect any asymptomatic lesions.

The importance of screening

The earlier myopia develops in childhood, the higher the risk of developing high myopia in adulthood, due to eye growth. Studies have shown that if a child first develops myopia between the ages of 3 and 6, they are likely to have myopia of around -6D by the age of 11. Conversely, if myopia first develops from the age of 7 onwards, it is likely to be around -4D by the age of 11.

It is therefore essential to screen for myopia in children by carrying out regular eye examinations, including refraction testing under cycloplegia (measuring the optical correction after instilling eye drops that temporarily block accommodation) and measuring axial length (the length of the eye).

Preventing and slowing the progression of myopia

The first step is to ensure appropriate vision correction. Myopia is corrected by:

Wearing spectacles or contact lenses with ‘concave lenses’. A refraction test under cycloplegia is essential for a reliable prescription, particularly in children. Under-correction is not recommended, as it could contribute to the progression of myopia.
Refractive surgery (LASIK, PRK, SMILE, phakic implants, etc.), which is only possible in adulthood and if the myopia has been stable for more than two years.

In addition to this, environmental measures should be taken to prevent the progression of myopia. Although the full pathophysiology remains only partially understood, certain lifestyle habits have been shown to help prevent the progression of myopia:

Spending time outdoors (at least 2 hours a day) in daylight
Regularly focusing on distant objects
Maintaining a distance of 30 to 40 cm when doing close-up work
Limiting screen time, particularly in young children

It is important to consult an ophthalmologist regularly to monitor the progression of myopia by carrying out a cycloplegic refraction test and measuring axial length. The progression of axial length curves over time will help to estimate the risk of high myopia in adulthood.

If myopia progresses, measures to slow its progression may be recommended:

Wearing special lenses: these incorporate zones of peripheral myopic defocus that limit the elongation of the eye.
Wearing specific soft contact lenses: incorporating zones of peripheral myopic defocus (Cooper Vision’s Mysight lenses, Johnson & Johnson’s Acuvue Abiliti lenses).
Orthokeratology: wearing rigid contact lenses at night, which reshape the cornea whilst the wearer sleeps, thereby eliminating the need for corrective lenses during the day.
The instillation of specific drops of diluted atropine: although the mechanism of action is not fully understood, atropine is thought to act on the eye’s muscarinic receptors, increasing the amount of light reaching the peripheral retina, slowing down accommodation and exerting a pharmacological effect on scleral growth.

These treatments are prescribed by an ophthalmologist and are accompanied by regular eye check-ups (every 6 to 12 months).

Research and innovation

The fight against myopia is gathering pace:

Screening and awareness-raising campaigns are being rolled out in several countries
Specialised centres are being developed, such as the Institute for Myopia at the Rothschild Foundation in Paris, which are conducting clinical research to better understand and prevent this vision epidemic.

In conclusion

Short-sightedness is now a silent epidemic, with potentially serious long-term consequences. It is possible to take action from childhood onwards to slow its progression, through a combination of good visual habits, innovative devices and regular eye care check-ups.

Our ophthalmology specialist

Med. pract. Victoire Hurand

Victoire Hurand, MD is a specialist in ophthalmology and works as a head of clinic at Swiss Visio. She completed a successful career in ophthalmology and ophthalmic surgery at the University Hospitals of Dijon and Beaune (France) before deciding to specialise more deeply within the Swiss Visio network. Always striving to perfect her skills, she specialised in refractive surgery at the Fondation Rothschild, obtained several inter-university diplomas (cornea, contactology, medical retina, refractive surgery and ocular inflammation) as well as a research master's degree and is part of the European Board of Ophthalmology (EBOD).

Victoire Hurand welcomes her patients, including emergencies, in the ophthalmological consultation at Montchoisi, Chavannes, and Palézieux village.

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