Myopia, its prevalence, current therapeutic strategy and recent developments: A Review

Myopia is a widespread and complex refractive error in which a person's ability to see distant objects clearly is impaired. Its prevalence rate is increasing worldwide, and as per WHO, it is projected to increase from 22% in 2000 to 52% by 2050. It is more prevalent in developed, industrial are...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Harjeet Singh, Harmanpreet Singh, Uzma Latief, Gurleen Kaur Tung, Navid Reza Shahtaghi, Nikhil Shri Sahajpal, Inderjit Kaur, Subheet Kumar Jain
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications 2022-01-01
Series:Indian Journal of Ophthalmology
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.ijo.in/article.asp?issn=0301-4738;year=2022;volume=70;issue=8;spage=2788;epage=2799;aulast=Singh
Description
Summary:Myopia is a widespread and complex refractive error in which a person's ability to see distant objects clearly is impaired. Its prevalence rate is increasing worldwide, and as per WHO, it is projected to increase from 22% in 2000 to 52% by 2050. It is more prevalent in developed, industrial areas and affects individuals of all ages. There are a number of treatments available for the control of myopia, such as glasses, contact lenses, laser surgery, and pharmaceuticals agents. However, these treatments are less beneficial and have significant side effects. A novel molecule, 7-methylxanthine (7-MX), has been found to be a highly beneficial alternate in the treatment of myopia and excessive eye elongation. Many preclinical and clinical studies showed that 7-MX is effective for the treatment of myopia and is presently under phase II of clinical investigation. We have also investigated preclinical toxicity studies such as acute, sub-acute, sub-chronic, and chronic on rats. In these studies, 7-MX was found to be non-toxic as compared to other reported anti-myopic agents. Moreover, as an ideal drug, 7-MX is observed to have no or low toxicity, brain permeability, non-allergic, higher oral administration efficacy, and low treatment costs and thus qualifies for the long-term treatment of myopia. This review article on 7-MX as an alternative to myopia treatment will highlight recent findings from well-designed preclinical and clinical trials and propose a potential future therapy.
ISSN:0301-4738
1998-3689