Scientists have announced that half of the world's population, which is nearly 5 billion people, will be short-sighted by 2050.
A new study has suggested that 5 billion people could be short-sighted by 2050, a sevenfold increase since 2000.
Children who spend more time outdoors during the day may have a reduced rate of nearsightedness, also known as myopia. The findings are published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).
There may be a gene that causes nearsightedness, but only in people who spent a lot of their childhood reading.
