Lähisilmsus: põhjused ja laserkorrektsiooni lahendused

Short-sightedness, medically known as myopia, has become one of the fastest-growing health concerns globally. According to World Health Organisation projections, half of humanity—approximately 5 billion people—will be short-sighted by 2050. The shift is particularly dramatic among children and young adults. A comprehensive meta-analysis published in the British Journal of Ophthalmology, encompassing 276 studies and 5.4 million participants, found that childhood myopia tripled between 1990 and 2023. In South Korea, a staggering 75.8% of 18-to-39-year-olds are myopic. According to The Lancet Regional Health 2025 data, the prevalence of myopia among European adults stands at 32.74%, meaning roughly one in three young adults sees poorly without glasses. A BMJ Public Health analysis warns that by 2035, complications from myopia will become the leading cause of irreversible vision loss in Western Europe.

Why are our eyes failing?

The mechanism is straightforward: the eyeball grows too long, causing images of distant objects to focus in front of the retina rather than on it. The problem is not merely the prescription number, but a physical change in the eye. The main culprit is screen time. A JAMA Network Open meta-analysis of 45 studies and over 335,000 participants revealed that every additional hour spent in front of a screen daily increases the risk of myopia by 21%. At four hours, the risk nearly doubles. During the COVID-19 quarantine, children's screen time rose from 2.1 to 5.6 hours a day, significantly accelerating myopia progression. Furthermore, a 2024 VSP Vision Care study found that 43% of remote workers reported deteriorated vision post-pandemic, with daily screen time averaging up to 13 hours.

There is a widespread myth that our eyes stabilise at the age of 20. However, a JAMA Ophthalmology study tracking a cohort from age 20 to 28 completely refutes this. It found that 14% of 20-year-olds with normal vision developed short-sightedness by age 28. Moreover, 37.8% of participants experienced clinically significant vision deterioration. An IMI report confirms that over 90% of adult-onset myopia cases occur between the ages of 18 and 30.

High myopia (around -5 to -6 dioptres) carries substantially higher health risks that glasses simply cannot solve. A 2023 Nature study discovered that high myopia increases the risk of retinal detachment by 39 times compared to normal vision. Every additional dioptre raises the risk of glaucoma by 20%. At -6 dioptres, the risk of macular degeneration is 41 times higher, and the likelihood of needing cataract surgery increases 3.4 times. BMJ Public Health predicts that by 2075, myopia complications will affect 3.6 million people in Europe. An optometrist from KSA Vision Clinic emphasises: "Regular eye examinations are essential even if your vision seems normal—progression can be slow and therefore unnoticeable."

Expert Insight

Ophthalmologist Dr Karl-Erik Tillmann explains concisely: "Myopia is often treated simply as a matter of needing glasses. In reality, it involves a physical change in the eyeball with long-term consequences for eye health. My absolute best advice for anyone engaged in prolonged close-up work is to spend at least 1 to 2 hours outdoors in natural daylight every day. This is a scientifically proven method to protect your eyes from further deterioration and give them the essential rest they need."

It is crucial to understand that glasses and contact lenses do not cure myopia or stop the eyeball from lengthening. However, once vision has stabilised, modern laser correction is a highly effective way to eliminate dioptres permanently. Technologies like the touch-free and flapless Flow3 procedure, which operates entirely on the surface of the eye, have successfully restored sight for tens of thousands. A 2025 meta-analysis confirms that following successful laser correction, patients enjoy a quality of life statistically equivalent to those who have never experienced myopia.