Cases of myopia among children, particularly among school-goers, is on the rise in Delhi, Lok Sabha was informed today.
"According to the study conducted by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, the prevalence rate of myopia in school-going children in Delhi schools has been found to be 13.1 per cent, which is significantly higher than the findings of the studies conducted in 2001.
"However, nation-wide data on the prevalence rate of myopia among school children in the country is not available," Health Minister J P Nadda said in a written reply.
The likely reasons for increase in prevalence rate of myopia among schoolchildren include spending greater number of hours in reading and writing at school and home, excess use of computers, video games and television, family history of myopia, poor nutritional status and reduced outdoor activities.
The minister said, under the National Programme for Control of Blindness (NPCB), training of school teachers is done to identify refractive errors and common eye ailments among schoolchildren, distribution of free spectacles to such children detected with refractive errors under School Eye Screening Programme, training of eye surgeons in various eye specialties including pediatric ophthalmology to enhance skill level.
Financial assistance to NGOs for treatment of childhood blindness and setting up of pediatric ophthalmology units at medical colleges and regional institutes of ophthalmology is also done under NPCB.
