impact of myopia Myopia as a cause of VI and blindness  Under corrected myopia: the most commin cause of VI, as judged by presentation for poor visual acuity  uncorrected myopia as low as -1.50 d will result in moderate VI, and uncorrected myopia of -4.00 D can cause blindness  MMD: the most common cause of VI in myopia 10% of people with pathologic myopia develop MMD (due to chroidal neovascularization), which is bilateral in 30% of cases  Myopia: Associated with higher risks of glaucoma and cataract but may be protective against ARMD and DR  High myopia: can cause serious, sight-threatening retinal damage Economic implication  Global loss of productivity due to URE: I$ 269 billion per annum  Estimated cost of addressing the problem: US$ 28 billion over years  Expected 4.9 fold increase in high myopia by 2050  the cost of care is also likely to increase significantly Impact on quality of life and personal development  Adolescents with myopia: reported lower scores for total quality of life, psychosocial functioning and school functioning  Correction of refractive errors by the provision of spectacles in low socieconomic areas markedly improve educational outcomes  the major contributors to the burden of eyes disease at the global level are refractive errors (27.2 million DALYs) followed by cataract (17.7 million DALYs)