MYOPIA IN UNDERAGES - CURRENT AGE AND ETIOPATHOGENETIC ASPECTS

The study of myopia, in the light of age-related characteristics and its relationship with the use of information technologies and mobile screen visual devices, is becoming an increasingly urgent problem in modern ophthalmology.
Aim. To assess the age-related characteristics of myopia incidence rates, taking into account modern neurophysiological concepts of its formation.
Material and methods. Data on the myopia incidence based on visits to medical institutions of the Republic of Bashkortostan by children and adolescents was analyzed based on statistical form No. 12 “Information on the number of diseases registered in patients living in the service area of a medical organization” for the period from 2016 to 2022.
Results. In the structure of the overall incidence of myopia in children and adolescents of the Republic of Bashkortostan for 2016-2022, an increase of 3.8% was noted, while the primary incidence of those examined aged 15 to 17 increased from 3546.7 per 100,000 population of the corresponding age in 2016 to 4493.1 in 2022, growth rate - 26.7%; in the age group from 0 to 14 years, on the contrary, a decrease was noted (the rate of decline was 4.5%). Differences in the structure of myopia in the studied age groups are due to complex etiopathogenetic factors in the formation of myopia and age-related characteristics of visual functions against an extremely early start of media resources use by children and adolescents, and the excessively intense impact of mobile devices on the visual and neuropsychic functions of the child. The results are analyzed taking into account age-related characteristics of eye growth and development, as well as modern neuro-ophthalmological concepts about the role of neural mechanisms in the formation of myopia.

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