Launch of Myopia Awareness Film by Optometry Council of India

The Optometry Council of India (powered by Hoya) released an awareness film virtually on 9th October by Hon Minister
for Road Transport and Highways, Mr. Nitin Gadkari. The film is on the problem of Myopia.

This awareness film is aimed at general public, in order to increase their awareness towards this problem and to help them make lifestyle changes as exposing their children to outdoor activities, reducing their child’s time on gadgets and also make sure they take their child for a regular eye check–up.

The film has experts giving their tips on how to tackle the increase in myopia. The film is in English and a Hindi voice over and lasts 3:25 min.

Myopia is a growing problem among children. Myopia means the need to wear minus  powered spectacles. Myopia is of great concern because once the minus power sets in  children it tends to increase with age and with increase in power of spectacles the risk for the child to develop other eye related complications which can impact vision badly, (when the  child grows) is higher.

The risks of people were minus powered glasses developing cataract, glaucoma and retinal detachment are many folds higher than a normal person.

WHO predicts that by 2050 half the world’s population will be myopic, in other words they will need to wear minus powered spectacles.

Why this sudden increase in Myopia?
Change in life style such as less time outdoors, more of gadget activities, more near work may be some of the factors that contribute to the increase in Myopia.

OCI formed a Myopia task force in second half of 2019, which then formulated the Myopia white paper where, experts from the field put together a document suggesting some educational and other policy measures to be implemented, which would help us in reducing the incidence of Myopia.

Comments in the Myopia white paper has also been received from experts such as Dr G N Rao (Founder and former Chair of LV Prasad Eye Institute, Hyderabad), Dr Thulasiraj Ravilla (Director, Operations, Aravind eye care Systems, Madurai) and from Dr T S Surendran (Vice–Chair, Sankara Nethralaya, Chennai).