At least 2.2 billion people around the world today suffer from impaired vision. In almost half of these instances, the vision impairment could have been prevented or is yet to be addressed, a situation World Health Organisation’s (WHO) Director of Non-Communicable Diseases Dr Bente Mikkelsen described as “outrageous” when she addressed the 75th World Health Assembly towards the end of May this year. Dr Mikkelsen’s outrage is justifiable considering, as she said, that eye health has been on the WHO’s radar since 1970 and is its oldest programme.
Understandably, the WHO, other international bodies and countries have been dealing with heavy issues over the years, including two global pandemics – HIV/AIDS and COVID-19 – that saw resources stretched thin. This is likely the reason why eye health has seemingly been shunted to the backburner, with devastating consequences. To counteract this, WHO published a guide in May “to help governments, organisations and other key stakeholders deliver high-quality, inclusive eye care”. This followed the organisation’s ‘World Report on Vision’, launched in October 2019, which revealed that the approximately 43 million people who were blind could triple by 2050 if no action was taken.
Worse still, is the fact that children and young people are being negatively affected not only by a general laissez faire attitude to eye health, but also because increasingly they are spending more time caught up with academic pursuits. A disclaimer is necessary here as education in and of itself does not damage eye health. Rather, it is possibly the way it has become so highly competitive that children are either forced to, or believe they must spend long hours studying that causes problems.
A study conducted in Singapore, which is known as the myopia capital of the world, because 80% of young adults are affected, found that it was linked to access to education. Rates of myopia or short-sightedness have also been soaring in South Korea, Taiwan, mainland China,
the United States and the UK. They may also be high in other countries, but the data is not available because regular screening is not practised.
A study in the UK conducted by Optometrist Neema Ghorbani-Mojarrad and others at the University of Bradford, found that genetics play only a small part in children developing myopia. Instead, they found that lifestyle was far more impactful. Children who spent less time outdoors and more time reading or watching screens were at greater risk for nearsightedness.
Sadly, in many countries, including ours, myopia is largely missed as annual screenings are not seen as a priority. Often, children who are short-sighted tend to fall back in class if their problem is not noted and addressed; and it rarely is.
In general, when children in Guyana pass that crucial age where they no longer have to attend clinics to receive the immunisations necessary for entry to school, health checks are no longer done. The same exists in many other countries around the world; children are only ever taken to see doctors if they fall ill. In the meantime, their sight, which is usually taken for granted, could be steadily deteriorating over the years, addressed only when it begins to cause unease and headaches. By this time the damage is done.
Eye specialists agree that children typically develop myopia between eight and 12 years old. However, today it is happening at a much younger age. While they did not spell this out, if one examines how many toddlers are now soothed with televisions, cellphones and iPads as opposed to ten or 20 years ago, it is easy to make the connection.
Unfortunately, it is not simply a matter of handing them a pair of glasses as it is estimated that the earlier children develop myopia, the more likely they are to suffer from glaucoma, retinal detachment, and cataracts, among other eye diseases in adulthood. It gets worse. Research published in June this year found a link between untreated vision loss and cognitive impairment in older adults. According to the journal “Aging & Mental Health”, the study observed that fading eyesight was a risk factor for developing dementia.
As Guyana joins the rest of the world in marking World Sight Day today, one hopes those in authority see the necessity of ensuring access to eye health care for all. For the adults who already suffer from glaucoma, cataracts and the like, medications, which tend to be pricey, should be brought within reach of incomes. Furthermore, regional and cottage hospitals and clinics should be boosted with the personnel and equipment to conduct sight checks and make managing eye diseases easier.
Finally, children should have their eyes tested annually, even if they seem not to be affected, so that any change could be quickly addressed. Studying and dependence on screens and their effect on sight is a much bigger issue that has to be tackled at the parental level, but also within the Ministry of Education. Removing the necessity for very young children to sit exams would certainly help, but we are not there yet.
