Originally published in TEACH Magazine, January/February 2024 Issue
By Deidre Olsen
The future might be one in which every student wears glasses. In recent decades, the prevalence of myopia in children and teenagers has skyrocketed, becoming a pressing global health issue. The situation is so dire that, in Singapore, 83% of young adults have been diagnosed with the condition, which has led to the country being called “the myopia capital of the world.”
People with myopia—also known as near-sightedness or short-sightedness—can clearly see objects up close but find distant objects blurry. It is estimated that by 2050, nearly half of the world will have the condition. In North America, the prevalence of myopia has soared from 28% in 2000 to 42% in 2020.
Deidre Olsen is a Canadian, award-nominated writer based in Berlin.
