The Consequences of Myopia: How Myopia Affects Individuals, Eye Health, and Society

Uncorrected myopia can pose a significant challenge in everyday life, particularly for children. Simple tasks such as reading signs, recognizing people, reading text on classroom boards can become difficult. Participating in sports or driving with uncorrected myopia may also present safety issues, as distant objects appear blurry and judging distances may appear harder. These challenges can negatively affect productivity in daily environments.

The impact of both uncorrected and corrected myopia on quality of life is commonly evaluated using qualitative and/or quantitative measures, including questionnaires that assess symptoms, activity limitations, emotional and social impact and inconvenience.²  Evidence suggests that myopia is associated with restrictions on everyday activities as well as reduced economic, emotional and social well-being.³ Overall the more severe the myopia, the greater the likelihood of having a poorer quality of life.³

Individuals with high myopia experience additional concerns, including the appearance of their spectacle lenses and increased financial burden due to the need for specialized lenses such as lighter and thinner lenses that cost more.²  Appropiate myopia management is likely to improve quality of life⁴  across certain domains.
 

All levels of myopia (low, moderate or high) are associated with an increased risk of developing ocular complications that may be sight-threatening. The risk increases with higher levels of myopia. Some complications, such as retinal detachment, can occur at any age, while others, including myopis macula degeneration, are more likely to develop later in adult life.

Each additional diopter of myopia is associated with a higher risk of several eye conditions, including myopic macular degeneration, open-angle glaucoma, posterior subcapsular cataract, and percent for retinal detachment.¹¹ These findings highlight the importance of early myopia management to mitigate or reduce the risk of developing serious complications.

Uncorrected myopia or poor vision in general can negatively affect the academic performance of children, with possible long-term consequences for education and future career opportunities. Evidence suggests that scholastic performance is linked to health outcomes later in adult life.⁵

Uncorrected visual deficits may affect attention, perseverance, and academic performance. When vision is corrected with spectacles, improvements in academic performance and psychosocial wellbeing of students have been observed.⁶ However, descpite the widespread availability of spectacles, negative stereotypes and social perceptions can reduce compliance. There are additional barriers that influence whether a child receives and consistently wears spectacles, such as access to vision care, costs, as well as parental education.⁷ These factors should be considered in optometric and ophthalmic practice and concerns related to vision correction should be addressed with sensitive and supportive measures.

Individual level

The economic impact of myopia at the individual level is associated with direct costs such as diagnosis, treatment, and transport as well as indirect costs related to productivity loss. Time spent on eye examinations, travel to clinics, and absence from work all contribute to the economic burden. These costs may vary by country of residence, and tend to increase with age, partly due to complications arising from myopia.⁸ Expenditure also increases with the severity of myopia as there may be increased costs for regular check-ups, different management solutions, or more frequent replacements due to changes in the prescription.

Societal and healthcare costs of myopia

The economic burden of myopia at the societal level includes healthcare expenses related to eye examinations and vision correction as well as expenses for medical treatments, medication, surgeries, or medical procedures due to complications. In countries with high myopia prevalence, the direct health expenditures associated with myopia have been shown to exceed the costs of some chronic diseases such as Parkinson’s disease.² However, with rising prevalence, the costs of managing myopia related conditions is expected to rise worldwide in the future.⁹

In addition to healthcare costs, myopia contributes to significant productivity loss. Visual impairment and blindness caused by myopia have been associated with substantial global economic losses, which are expected to increase as myopia prevalence continues to rise: In 2019 prosuctivity loss amounted to 94.5 billion US dollars and could rise to 229.3 billion US dollars in 2050.⁹

The burden of myopia and high myopia is expected to increase as prevalence of myopia continues to rise.² At a societal level, effective myopia management has a positive impact on productivity, and the costs associated with correcting and controlling myopia progression are lower than the economic gains achieved through improved productivity.¹⁰

Prevention where possible, early detection, and strategies to slow progression are key to reducing the long-term impact of myopia. Lower levels of myopia are associated with reduced management of costs and a lower risk of ocular complications.

Education on minimizing excessive near work and increasing time spent outdoors plays an important role in myopia management. For those that are already myopic, guidelines can be followed for appropriate management. Since single‑vision correction does not slow myopia progression, combining vision correction with appropriate management strategies is recommended. Open discussion helps address concerns related to treatment options, costs, and long‑term eye health implications.