[Supervised by an Ophthalmologist] Children's Eyesight Deterioration Nears 'Double That of 45 Years Ago.' Considering the Risks of 'Watchful Waiting' in an Age of Rapidly Increasing Myopia and How to Protect 'Lifetime Vision' by Age 6 on June 10th, 'Children's Eye Day'

Vision Megane Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture), which operates eyewear specialty stores, will conduct awareness activities to support healthy vision development in children in conjunction with 'Children's Eye Day' on June 10th.

Currently, the visual environment for children is undergoing drastic changes. According to Ministry of Education statistics, approximately one in four kindergarteners and one in three elementary school students have uncorrected vision below 20/20, making myopia an unavoidable aspect of modern life. As myopia becomes commonplace, there is a concern that signs of 'amblyopia (delayed visual function development),' which requires the most attention, may be overlooked as simple nearsightedness.

This document, supervised by an ophthalmologist, explains the importance of vision development up to age 6 and 'eyeglass fitting,' which determines the quality of treatment and correction.

■ Background: The Sharp Increase in Children with 'Uncorrected Vision Below 20/20' Compared to 1979

Comparing the Ministry of Education's 'School Health Statistics' preliminary report for fiscal year 2025 with data from fiscal year 1979, when records began, highlights the change in children's visual environment.

[Individuals with uncorrected vision below 20/20]

・Kindergarteners: FY1979 (1979) 16.47% → FY2025 (2025) 23.90%

・Elementary school students: FY1979 (1979) 17.91% → FY2025 (2025) 36.07%

Compared to about 45 years ago, the rate of vision deterioration among elementary school students has approximately doubled. This is believed to be due to drastic lifestyle changes in children, such as increased time spent looking at near objects due to the proliferation of digital devices like games, computers, and smartphones, as well as a decrease in outdoor activities. In a society where myopia has become 'normalized,' there is a risk that vision deterioration is taken for granted, weakening vigilance against diseases and abnormalities that require early detection.

*Reference: Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology - School Health Statistics Survey - Overview of FY2025 Results

Publication of FY2025 School Health Statistics (PDF:478KB) https://www.mext.go.jp/content/20260213-mxt_chousa01-000046876_1.pdf

*Reference: e-Stat Government Statistics Portal 'School Health Statistics Survey'

FY1979 Age-Specific Disease/Abnormality Prevalence Rate https://www.e-stat.go.jp/stat-search/files?tclass=000001056752&cycle=0

■ [Original Survey] While Over Half Say 'Consult a Specialist Immediately,' About 30% Choose 'Watchful Waiting'

Following last year's 2025 survey, Vision Megane conducted a questionnaire survey* targeting parents in their 30s to 50s. In response to the question, 'Have you ever had concerns or worries about the eyesight of your own child or a child close to you?', approximately 70% answered 'very much' or 'somewhat.' Similar to last year's survey, many parents are regularly concerned about their children's eyesight.

*Survey by Vision Megane Co., Ltd. using the LINE Research platform (conducted May 11-14, 2026, targeting 107 married individuals aged 30-59). *Results for Q2 and Q3 exclude 14 respondents who answered 'I do not have a relevant child' out of the 107 total respondents.

On the other hand, in response to the question, 'What action do you think you would take first if your own child or a child close to you seemed to have difficulty seeing?', excluding those who said they did not have a relevant child, 60.2% said they would 'consult a specialist such as an ophthalmologist,' accounting for the majority. However, combining 'watch the situation at home for a while' (17.2%) and 'wait until the next regular check-up at school or kindergarten' (14.0%), approximately 30% (31.2%) chose 'watchful waiting.' This indicates a tendency among a certain number of people to observe the current situation for the time being.

Furthermore, when delving into the 'reasons for hesitation (multiple answers allowed)' in consulting a specialist or having a child wear glasses, the top specific reasons were 'image of wearing glasses from a young age' (23.7%) and 'concern that wearing glasses will worsen the condition' (21.5%). This reveals the psychological conflicts unique to parents, such as 'it seems pitiful to make a young child wear glasses' or 'I worry about how others will see them,' as well as anxiety and misunderstandings about vision deterioration.

Additionally, subjective judgments like 'the child doesn't seem particularly inconvenienced in daily life' (10.8%) are also considered factors that make parents cautious about visiting an ophthalmologist or taking countermeasures.

However, this period of 'watchful waiting' may harbor the 'risk of oversight' that could affect a child's future vision.

■ Explanation by Supervising Doctor: Why Detection by Age 6 is Crucial

Vision is an 'ability' that develops as the brain receives stimuli from seeing various objects, similar to how children learn language and walking.

Newborn babies can only see things blurry in front of them, but by repeatedly 'training to see' through light and stimulation from the outside, their vision develops and is said to reach 20/20 by around age 6.

[Point 1: Vision Development Continues Until Around Age 10]

Vision development has a 'time limit (sensitive period/critical period).' Vision gradually develops from birth, is nearly complete by around ages 6 to 8, and the critical period is around age 10, after which growth stops.

If, during this period of vision growth, a clear image fails to reach the brain due to conditions such as 'high hyperopia or astigmatism that prevents focusing,' 'anisometropia' (a large difference in vision between the left and right eyes), or 'strabismus' (misalignment of the eyes), vision development may stop prematurely, leading to 'amblyopia,' where vision remains poor even with glasses. Amblyopia has a high chance of recovery if treatment is started at the appropriate time. However, after the critical period, it becomes less responsive to treatment and recovery becomes difficult.

[Point 2: The Pitfall of Dismissing It as 'Just Myopia']

The pitfall is the complacency of thinking, 'Other kids have bad eyes too, so mine must just be nearsighted.' Especially in cases of 'anisometropic amblyopia,' where only one eye has a vision impairment, it is difficult for parents to notice because the child does not appear to be inconvenienced in daily life. It is sometimes discovered for the first time during school vision screenings.

[Point 3: The Current Generation of Parents May Have Also Been Overlooked]

When the current generation of parents were children, the vision and hearing tests that are now part of the 3-year-old health checkup had not yet been introduced (they started in 1990). Therefore, some people may have grown up without receiving appropriate tests or treatment during childhood and may have experienced limitations due to their vision when renewing their driver's license, doing precision work, or pursuing hobbies.

'Amblyopia' is extremely difficult to treat in adulthood. To ensure that children can have healthy vision in the future without limiting their choices in work and life, correctly diagnosing and, if necessary, starting treatment by the time vision nears completion at 'age 6' is the last chance and a 'critical milestone' for protecting their lifelong vision.

◆ 'Signs in Children' That Should Not Be Missed

If the difficulty seeing is due to temporary fatigue, it may resolve naturally. However, if 'the state of having difficulty seeing continues daily' or 'compensatory behaviors (squinting, tilting the head) are observed,' it is important to suspect an underlying problem and consult a specialist.