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 For the study, researchers analyzed data from U.S. census records
and from eye exams on about 12,000 kids under 6 years old.
Nationwide, researchers estimated that more than 174,000 kids from 3
to 5 years old had vision impairment as of 2015 and projected that
their ranks will swell by 26 percent to more than 220,000 by 2060.
Most of these kids have what's known as refractive errors, or
difficulties focusing on things either up close or far away, that
can be often be corrected with glasses. This means parents should
take kids for at least one comprehensive eye exam by age 3 and watch
for signs of vision issues, said lead study author Dr. Rohit Varma,
director of the Roski Eye Institute and dean at the Keck School of
Medicine at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.
"Parents should watch out for signs such as sitting close to the TV
or holding a book too close, squinting, tilting their head,
frequently rubbing their eyes, short attention span for the child's
age, turning of an eye in or out, sensitivity to light, difficulty
with eye-hand-body coordination when playing ball or bike riding, or
avoiding coloring activities, puzzles and other detailed
activities," Varma said by email.
"If children display such symptoms or behaviors then they should
certainly get an eye examination," Varma added.
Hispanic children were most likely to have vision problems,
researchers report in JAMA Ophthalmology. As of 2015, Hispanic kids
accounted for 38 percent of vision impairment cases, and researchers
estimated this proportion would climb to 44 percent by 2060 aided by
higher birth rates in this population relative to other racial and
ethnic groups.
Based on changing demographics across the country, the second
most-affected group is expected to shift from non-Hispanic white
kids, who represented 26 percent of cases in 2015, dropping to 16.5
percent in 2060, to African American kids, representing 25 percent
of cases in 2015 and 22 percent in 2060, according to the
researchers.
The states projected to have the most children with vision
impairment by 2060 are California, Texas and Florida, all of which
have large Hispanic populations.
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Overall, the types of vision problems found in kids are projected to
remain little changed by 2060, however.
Refractive errors will make up about 70 percent of cases by 2060,
followed by amblyopia, or lazy eye, accounting for 24 percent. About
6 percent of cases will result from eye disease.
One limitation of the study is the reliance on census records with
self-reported data on race and ethnicity, the authors note.
Researchers also assumed the prevalence of impaired vision within
different racial and ethnic groups would not change over time, so
increases and decreases are based just on population changes.
Still, the findings should serve as a reminder to parents not to
wait to get children's eyes checked until kids complain about their
vision, said Dr. Janet Leasher of the Nova Southeastern University
College of Optometry in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
"Many children don't know that the way they see may not be normal,
and the only way to find out is to have them assessed by a qualified
eye care professional," Leasher, who wasn't involved in the study,
said by email. "There are pediatric ophthalmologists and
optometrists who specialize in children's vision, but any eye doctor
can conduct the tests necessary to determine if there is a problem."
SOURCE: http://bit.ly/2q0GzYK JAMA Ophthalmology, online May 4,
2017.
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