Epidemiology of Myopia: Prevalence, Risk Factors and Effects of Myopia.

Myopia is the most common cause of visual impairment in children and young adults. In order to assess the consequences for society, it is necessary to know temporal trends in prevalence, incidence and associated factors in childhood and adolescence, as well as the rate of myopia progression, as based on epidemiological research. This paper presents a literature review of publications from 2020 up to March 2024, supplemented by other relevant publications. The prevalence of myopia in children and adolescents in Germany is almost stable and is significantly lower than in Asia. The development of myopia is influenced by outdoor activity, parental myopia, genetics and near work, while insufficient time spent outdoors in childhood is a significant and controllable risk factor for myopia-related complications such as myopic maculopathy, glaucoma, and retinal detachment.