SINGAPORE – More people in Singapore are developing eye conditions such as glaucoma at a younger age, in their 40s and 50s.
untreated myopia in these earlier generations of Singaporeans
, who did not have many treatment options in their growing-up years.
Studies have shown that untreated myopia leads to elongation of the eyeballs, and such structural changes may lead to the weakening of the eye and optic nerves, leading to a higher risk of subsequent eye conditions.
They include glaucoma, where the eye pressure rises because of a build-up of fluid inside the eye. This may damage the optic nerves and lead to blindness.
The newly established Myopia Society of Singapore has urged parents to be aware of myopia developing in their children, and to take early action to prevent or delay its progression.
If they can prevent their children’s eyeballs from becoming permanently elongated, severe vision loss in adulthood could be averted.
Data from the Singapore National Eye Centre (SNEC) – the designated national centre for eye care in the public healthcare sector – showed that the number of glaucoma operations performed on patients aged 40 to 49 nearly tripled from 22 in 2015 to 60 in 2025.
The number of procedures performed on those aged 50 to 59 also almost doubled from 95 in 2015 to 183 in 2025.
This is significant considering glaucoma usually affects those aged 60 and above, said Dr Foo Li Lian, clinical director of myopia service at SNEC.
Greater access to screening programmes, such as diabetic eye screening and corporate health screenings, could also have led to more people being diagnosed with glaucoma earlier, leading to surgery being conducted for younger patients.
According to a JAMA Ophthalmology journal paper published in 2015 on the Singapore Epidemiology of Eye Diseases (SEED) Study, the prevalence of glaucoma in those aged between 40 and 49 here was around 11.4 per cent.
The prevalence was 22.1 per cent for those aged between 50 and 59; 29.4 per cent for those aged between 60 and 69; and 37.1 per cent for those aged 70 and 80.
Myopia, or short-sightedness, is an eye condition that makes faraway objects appear blurry when the eyeball grows too long, resulting in light rays entering the eye not focusing sharply on the retina – the part of the eye which is sensitive to light.
High myopia refers to severe short-sightedness of 600 degrees and beyond.
The SEED high myopia study of around 9,000 adults aged between 40 and 80 showed that 36 per cent (more than 3,200 adults) have myopia, and 6 per cent (more than 540) have high myopia, said Professor Saw Seang Mei, who is the principal investigator of the SEED study and an epidemiologist who specialises in eye diseases.
