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Did you know that myopia is now considered a global health concern?
Are you educating your clients and plan members about the risks of myopia and the impact of myopia on vision? Myopia, or nearsightedness, is more than just a childhood inconvenience. It’s a growing public health concern in Canada and around the world.
This is why the Canadian Association of Optometrists (CAO) offers a range of free resources on myopia for all audiences, including parents, plan sponsors and healthcare professionals. The CAO can help you explain the rise of myopia and how to mitigate it.
Myopia is on the Rise—and It Starts Young
Myopia typically develops in childhood and continues to progress until around age 20. It occurs when the eyeball is too elongated to be able to focus clearly on distant objects. While people with myopia can often see nearby objects just fine, they struggle to see the board in class, road signs, or anything beyond arm’s length without corrective lenses.
In Canada, around 17.5% of school-aged children are already myopic—and that number is rising.1,2 Children are becoming myopic at younger ages because of screen-heavy lifestyles and decreased time outdoors.
A Global Epidemic
Myopia is considered a global health issue. It's projected that 50% of the global population will be myopic in 2050, up from about 28% in 2010.2 This increase is not just a matter of more glasses, it brings serious long-term health and economic consequences.
Why Early Detection Matters
Unchecked myopia can lead to severe eye disease later in life. Individuals with high myopia (typicall -5.00 or greater) face:
- 3.3x increased risk of glaucoma
- 5.5x increased risk of cataracts
- 21.5x increased risk of retinal detachment
- 40.6x increased risk of myopic maculopathy3
Early detection and consistent monitoring can prevent or delay these outcomes. In fact, over 90% of vision loss in Canada is preventable with timely care.
What Can I Do?
Check vision care plans. There are three critical areas of change in vision care that will help detect and reduce the impact of myopia:
Increase comprehensive examination allowance to ensure they include diagnostic tools and imaging.
Add coverage for recall examinations between comprehensive exams for those that need it
Include coverage of diagnostic tools and imaging as part of both comprehensive and recall exams.
When vision care plans include adequate coverage for the early detection and management of diseases like myopia, long-term costs associated with vision loss can be avoided.
The Hidden Costs for Group Plans
Beyond the personal and clinical impacts, progressive myopia also has long-term implications for group benefits plans, particularly when rates of eye disease increase later in life. The results are:
- Lower productivity and presenteeism in the workplace
- Higher drug and medical costs
- Increased disability claims for vision-related issues
Investing in healthy vision practices, early detection and effective management of myopia do pay off, mitigating these downstream costs. Education, less screen time and more time outdoors, combined with regular comprehensive examinations by an optometrist including diagnostics and imaging is part of good vision hygiene. This equation should make vision care a strategic priority for plan sponsors.
Learn More
The CAO has developed a range of resources on myopia. Find out more here: https://opto.ca/eye-health-library/myopia-nearsightedness
You’ll find more information on prevention, early detection and manage diseases through CAO blogs, podcasts, and webinars. Want to know more? You can find our handbook and blog posts here on the Don’t Lose Sight website or contact the CAO for more information or assistance at info@opto.ca.
References
- Yang M, Luensmann D, Fonn D, et al. Myopia prevalence in Canadian school children: a pilot study. Eye (Lond). 2018;32(6):1042-1047. doi:10.1038/s41433-018-0015-
- Liang J, Pu Y, Chen J, et al. Global prevalence, trend and projection of myopia in children and adolescents from 1990 to 2050: a comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis. Br J Ophthalmol. 2025;109(3):362-371. doi:10.1136/bjo-2024-325427
- Flitcroft DI. The complex interactions of retinal, optical and environmental factors in myopia aetiology. Prog Retin Eye Res. 2012;31(6):622-660. doi:10.1016/j.preteyeres.2012.06.004