The American Medical Association recently passed a resolution backing formal classification of nearsightedness (myopia) as a disease—including by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services—to ensure children and adolescents have access to appropriate treatments and insurance coverage. The resolution also calls for increased public health education and improved screening in children. 

This new policy direction mirrors a global effort the American Academy of Ophthalmology launched back in 2021. The Academy alerted the world to the rising global public health crisis of myopia with the publication of a white paper, Reducing the Global Burden of Myopia by Delaying the Onset of Myopia and Reducing Myopic Progression in Children. It was the first effort to coordinate a global health initiative to spread education and foster collaboration to improve treatments.