Myopia and "homo smartphone"

What will the average Italian look like in 2050? It is not easy to predict, but it will almost certainly not 'see long'. Just look at the kids and teenagers of today, perpetually in their devices. They will be myopia adults tomorrow. A question of evolution of the species, which sees what experts define as 'homo-smartphone' making its way. "Within half a century in Italy, as well as in the rest of Europe, 75-80% of the population will be short-sighted", predicts Paolo Nucci, director of the University Eye Clinic of the San Giuseppe hospital in Milan-MultiMedica Group, and promoter of the Congress 'MIlanOPIA', the first entirely dedicated to myopia, underway today in the Lombard capital, with the patronage of the Italian Ophthalmological Society (Soi) and San Giuseppe. Constant use of devices that require close visual activity, closed environments, poor exposure to the open air and natural light make myopia the most functional 'way of seeing' to our current lifestyle, explain the experts at the event that will attract over 150 ophthalmologists and opinion leaders on the subject. In the past, great importance was attached to genetics, but today we know that environmental factors also play a crucial role in the onset of myopia ”, explains Nucci. “Today this pathology, by virtue of the characteristic lifestyle of industrialized countries, is constantly increasing. When it is of medium to severe type, ie exceeding the 6 diopters, it is more likely to develop further problems: retinal detachment, glaucoma, maculopathy. It is therefore necessary to learn how to manage the myopic subject correctly ”. The latest frontier in medical therapy, Nucci continues, “is based on understanding the role of dopamine. This chemical mediator present in the retina makes the sclera of the eye less elastic, a cartilage membrane that tends to expand in the myopic. Exposure to the open air and sunlight stimulates the production of dopamine, while closed environments inhibit it, inducing greater elasticity in the sclera and thus favoring myopia. Atropine is a substance capable of increasing the release of dopamine. Using it in school-age myopia (the one that occurs between 6 and 14 years), we have found a reduction of the pathology of 75% in about 7 children out of 10 ”. The constant effort in close vision, in addition to explaining the current trend of spread of myopia, is also at the basis of the increase in cases of strabismus, the specialists observe, according to which on the prevention front it is essential that children and adolescents, engaged in activities that put pressure on the eye muscles responsible for convergent vision, spend more time outdoors, also 'training' the muscles that allow vision at a distance. And, to reach a small compromise that brings together hyper-connected parents and children, the experts open up to TV and video game consoles which, unlike smartphones and tablets, imply a more physiological vision, at a distance of at least 1,5- 2 meters. Even for these devices, however, they add, it is the rule of good sense and should not exceed the daily exposure dose. Congress also discusses the role of optics, analyzing the cases in which the use of contact lenses may be more appropriate. "Perhaps not everyone knows that, due to the peculiar characteristics of the tear film in children (it has a denser lipid film and mucous layer and must wet a smaller surface), the use of contact lenses is particularly suitable for correction of childhood myopia ”, explains Nucci. Among the main themes are the latest trends in the face of retinal surgery and refractive surgery. “In recent times there has been a strong interest in this method which consists in inserting the lens inside the eye and which can give good results in the treatment of important myopia (even 11-12 diopters).