One in 3 children worldwide has myopia today, and the World Health Organization projects that half the global population will be affected by 2050. In the United States, the National Eye Institute reports that 9.2 million children and adolescents are already nearsighted. And yet, when surveyed, only about 1 in 5 parents have heard of the childhood myopia epidemic. Nearly three-quarters have a general sense of what myopia is, but far fewer understand it as a growing public health problem.

That gap, between a parent’s vague familiarity and the clinical reality their child’s provider is managing, is where much of the opportunity in childhood myopia sits. Data from The Vision Council’s 2025 provider survey and 2023 parental perspectives on myopia show a field that is advancing on the clinical side while the family-facing conversation lags behind.

The Awareness Gap

The Vision Council’s data found that 3 in 10 parents report having a child diagnosed with myopia, and 46% of those parents found out through a routine eye exam. The provider was the entry point. But even after diagnosis, parental understanding of the condition’s stakes is limited: Only 37% of parents with a myopic child identified vision loss as a major potential complication.

Awareness of the risk factors connected to myopia shows the same pattern. Parents correctly identify screen time (57%) and genetics (57%) as contributors, but only 13% named lack of outdoor time, despite strong clinical evidence that time outside plays a meaningful protective role. These findings highlight a group of parents who are engaged, who showed up for the exam, and who are still working from an incomplete picture.

Complications

Among parents whose children are on a myopia treatment plan, 87% say it has been easy to comply, and 83% say it’s been effective so far. Though parents are likely doing their best to manage their child’s myopia, eyecare providers have a unique perspective on what areas have room for improvement. When asked about challenges they encounter when implementing myopia management treatments, 86% of providers cited cost of treatment as a major challenge, 56% pointed to parental understanding, and 49% named patient compliance as a challenge. In open-ended responses, several ECPs noted that parents simply don’t understand the urgency, and that the leading treatment lenses are often cost-prohibitive for families.

What ECPs Can Take Away

Providers are the primary, and often the only, source of information on childhood myopia for the parents they see. That puts the dispensing conversation in a more important position than most clinical interactions. Here, a few things ECPs can follow from the data:

• Name the epidemic. Most parents haven’t heard of it. Framing a child’s diagnosis in the context of a rising trend, and as a condition that can be actively managed to reduce long-term risk, gives parents a reason to engage more seriously with the treatment conversation.

• Add outdoor time to the risk factor conversation. It costs nothing to mention, and it’s something families can act on immediately. A parent who understands that time outside has a documented protective effect is more likely to make it a priority.

• Be explicit about what the treatment plan requires. The compliance gap between provider and parent perception suggests that the protocol isn’t always landing fully. Spelling out expectations, check-in intervals, and what noncompliance actually risks may close the distance between a parent who thinks they’re following through and one who actually is.

• Cost is the hardest barrier, and it’s the most commonly cited one. Pointing families toward insurance allowances, FSA and HSA eligibility, or lower-cost entry points where they exist won’t solve the problem, but it can make the difference for families who are willing but stuck on price.

Sources: The Vision Council Focused inSights:

• Parental Perspectives on Myopia (2023)

• Provider Approaches to Myopia Management (2025)

• Comparative Myopia Treatment Strategies – US, Canada, UK, and EU (2025)