According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there are an estimated 153 million people with visual impairment due to uncorrected refractive errors, which have a considerable impact on reducing school performance, employability and productivity. .

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In Mexico, an estimated 15 million people suffer from myopia, one of the most common eye disorders. However, according to the WHO, 80% of all cases of visual impairment can be prevented or cured.

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Eye disorders do not only affect the adult population, since myopia and hyperopia appear in childhood and worsen in adolescence, their causes being mostly hereditary. In the world, approximately 19 million children suffer from visual impairment and of these, 12 million are due to refractive errors.

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The detection of refractive errors in children is complicated, since they rarely complain or identify that they cannot see clearly, which prevents them from following the rhythm of the classes, reading quickly and understanding, negatively affecting their school performance. Therefore, at an early age, visual examinations help to rule out refractive errors or diseases that, in the long run, may be irreparable. Until the age of five the eye has not fully matured. Therefore, it is a key stage to detect and remedy possible damage.

BERTHA SOLA