This article was originally published in a sponsored newsletter.

Last month, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) released the report, “Myopia: Causes, Prevention, and Treatment of an Increasingly Common Disease.” While created some 150 years ago by the U.S. Congress, the Academies are private, nonprofit institutions that “attempt to obtain authoritative, objective, and scientifically balanced answers to difficult questions of national importance.”

The committee was comprised of a group of scientists and clinicians—around half of whom are directly engaged in myopia research—with the remainder eminent in highly relevant related fields.

The goals of the study were to assess the current mechanistic understanding of myopia pathogenesis and the causes of its increased prevalence to identify knowledge gaps and barriers to progress. The study group also is developing a research agenda aimed at better understanding the biological and environmental factors that could explain its increasing incidence.

The committee produced a 374-page report that concludes with the following summary: “Despite decades of research in myopia, there is much to be learned. The preponderance of evidence suggests that myopia should be treated beyond simply correcting blurry vision. It is a disease that can affect long-term visual health. Effectively treating myopia will require audacious research that translates vision and animal science to clinical practice patterns. Care of the myopic child who becomes the myopic adult will require intentional integration and coordinated strategic policies at the local, state, national, and global levels. Myopia is no longer just for eye doctors.”

The report makes a series of recommendations. The final, and potentially most important recommendation is that “the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services classify myopia as a disease and, therefore, a medical diagnosis (Recommendation 8-5).”

To download and peruse the report, visit the NASEM myopia website.