In recent years, the global rise of myopia—or nearsightedness—has shifted from being a localized vision concern to an urgent public health crisis of pandemic proportions. The 2024 Global Myopia Public Health Summit gathered leading ophthalmologists, researchers, and policymakers to confront this alarming trend firmly and innovatively. Their comprehensive report, recently published in Global Health Research and Policy, underscores the critical need for coordinated action to stem the eye condition’s accelerating impact on populations worldwide. This summit’s outcomes highlight not only the scale of the issue but also the multifaceted strategies required to prevent myopia from overwhelming individuals and healthcare systems alike.
At the heart of the discussion is myopia’s staggering prevalence increase, especially among children and young adults. With some East Asian countries reporting rates exceeding 80 to 90 percent among teenagers, the condition is no longer an isolated clinical diagnosis but a widespread societal burden. Projections suggest that by 2050 nearly half of the global population—close to five billion people—could be affected by myopia if current trends continue. This surge represents a massive escalation from three decades ago, when the condition was far less common and seen primarily in specific demographics. The summit’s findings amplify the urgency to implement prevention and treatment measures globally, particularly targeting risk factors in childhood.
Scientifically, myopia occurs when the eye elongates excessively or the cornea curves too steeply, causing images to focus in front of the retina rather than directly on it, resulting in blurred distance vision. While traditionally corrected with glasses or contact lenses, the condition’s true danger lies in its progression to high myopia. High myopia dramatically increases the risk of severe eye complications such as retinal detachment, glaucoma, cataracts, and myopic maculopathy, all of which carry potential for irreversible vision loss. The summit emphasized that combating myopia must focus not only on optical correction but also on slowing axial elongation during development, which requires deeper understanding at the molecular and environmental levels.
Environmental factors have received particular attention as critical drivers of the myopia pandemic. Sedentary lifestyles dominated by excessive near work—like reading, screen time, and digital device use—correlate strongly with earlier onset and faster progression of myopia in children. Conversely, evidence increasingly supports outdoor exposure as protective; sunlight stimulates the release of dopamine in the retina, which acts to inhibit eye elongation. Public health recommendations arising from the summit stressed the need for policies that encourage increased outdoor activities in childhood education systems, urban planning that ensures access to natural light, and parental education to moderate near work habits. These measures may seem simple but require coordinated social and governmental commitment to change behaviors ingrained in modern life.
Innovative treatment modalities are also coming to the fore in the fight against myopia progression. Pharmacological interventions such as low-dose atropine eye drops have shown promise in slowing axial elongation with minimal side effects in clinical trials. Optical approaches, including specially designed contact lenses and orthokeratology (overnight corneal reshaping), provide alternate avenues to control progression. Yet, as the summit report detailed, access and affordability remain major hurdles, especially in low- and middle-income countries where the myopia burden is rising but resources are limited. Bridging this gap mandates global collaboration, investment in affordable eye care infrastructure, and integration of myopia management into standard pediatric eye health services.
From a technological perspective, the summit highlighted emerging diagnostic innovations that can identify children at highest risk for rapid progression. Advances in biometrics, imaging techniques such as optical coherence tomography (OCT), and genetic screening furnish tools to predict which individuals may benefit most from early and aggressive intervention. Coupling these technologies with personalized treatment plans could revolutionize myopia management, shifting it from reactive to proactive care. Nonetheless, these promising tools require validation in diverse populations and must be made accessible beyond well-funded clinics to confront the pandemic equitably.
Beyond clinical and technological considerations, the summit underscored myopia’s profound social and economic implications. Visual impairment due to uncorrected or high myopia compromises educational and occupational opportunities, reduces quality of life, and increases dependency on healthcare systems globally. The financial burden encompasses direct medical costs and productivity losses, which the report estimates could run into trillions of dollars over coming decades without intervention. This economic lens reinforces the imperative for governments and international health bodies to prioritize myopia control as part of broader non-communicable disease prevention agendas.
Education and advocacy emerged as cornerstone elements in the response framework presented at the summit. Public awareness about myopia’s preventable and manageable aspects remains low in many regions. Initiatives targeting parents, teachers, and healthcare providers to disseminate evidence-based practices are vital to curtail the epidemic. Moreover, integrating training on myopia management into primary care and ophthalmology curricula ensures that frontline practitioners can identify and treat myopia early, translating research findings into real-world impact.
Collaboration across sectors represents another pivotal theme. Addressing myopia demands involvement not only from the medical community but also educational authorities, urban planners, policymakers, the technology industry, and communities themselves. The summit report advocates for multisectoral partnerships to devise policies that promote healthy visual habits, regulate digital device usage in young populations, and support research funding in high-priority areas. This integrated, systems-level approach contrasts sharply with fragmented efforts of the past, potentially enabling sustainable and scalable solutions.
In the wake of the summit, global health institutions like the World Health Organization have expressed interest in adopting coordinated strategies to tackle myopia. Frameworks akin to those used for other chronic diseases—such as diabetes or cardiovascular illness—could serve as models to combine surveillance, prevention, treatment, and policy interventions under unified campaigns. The report explicitly calls for increased investment in global surveillance systems to track prevalence, incidence, and treatment outcomes, thereby enabling data-driven decision-making.
Scientific research priorities were also articulated in depth. Understanding the genetic-environment interplay that underpins myopia onset and progression remains a key goal. Unraveling molecular pathways responsible for eye growth regulation may open doors to novel therapeutics beyond atropine. Moreover, longitudinal population studies are essential to evaluate long-term effects of environmental modifications and treatment modalities. The summit advocated fostering international research consortia and data sharing platforms to leverage collective expertise and avoid duplication.
The social dimension of myopia was further explored, noting disparities in prevalence and outcomes linked to socioeconomic status, ethnicity, and healthcare access. The report warns that without targeted interventions, vulnerable populations may bear disproportionate burdens of vision loss and its consequences. Addressing these inequities requires tailored strategies informed by sociocultural contexts, alongside universal measures. Equity-centric approaches to myopia management must be embedded within the forthcoming public health policies.
A noteworthy highlight from the summit was the call for innovation in educational technology design. As digital learning environments become ubiquitous, developers have a critical role in mitigating myopia risk. Features such as adjustable font sizes, screen brightness controls, breaks prompted for eye rest, and encouragement of outdoor learning can be incorporated to protect vision health. Collaboration between researchers and tech companies could facilitate development of evidence-based standards, influencing user experiences on a massive scale.
In conclusion, the Global Myopia Public Health Summit 2024 galvanizes the global community, providing a robust roadmap to arrest the myopia pandemic before it inflicts irreversible damage on billions of lives. The comprehensive report blends epidemiological insight, scientific advances, and pragmatic recommendations, urging an unprecedented level of cooperation and commitment. Tackling myopia equitably and effectively is not only a matter of eye health but a broader social imperative with profound implications for global development, education, and quality of life. As this vision crisis unfolds, the summit’s clarion call resonates loud and clear: prevention, control, and innovation must unite to preserve sight for future generations.
Subject of Research: The global myopia pandemic and public health strategies to address it.
Article Title: The need to address the myopia pandemic: summary report of the global myopia public health summit 2024.
Article References:
Pan, W., Morgan, I., Flitcroft, I. et al. The need to address the myopia pandemic: summary report of the global myopia public health summit 2024. glob health res policy 10, 45 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1186/s41256-025-00445-7
Image Credits: AI Generated
