The prevalence of childhood myopia has surged in recent decades, with urban centers in East Asia such as Singapore having rates as high as 11 percent among preschoolers, increasing to 50 percent by primary school, and 75 percent by the end of secondary school. The prevalence of myopia is increasing elsewhere too—including in the U.S.—and the shifting epidemiological picture, which is characterized by a progressively younger age of onset and accelerated myopic progression, portends a worrying future increase in the global burden of high myopia and blindness. In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, which is likely to continue to require lockdowns and less face-to-face engagement for some time, more screen time is inevitable, and there is a significant need for strategies to mitigate a resultant exacerbation of the myopia crisis. Read More