● With short-sightedness among under-20s set to nearly double by 2050,1 one of the UK’s leading eye surgeons has warned of an “emerging myopia epidemic.”
● Mr Alastair Stuart, Medical Director at Optegra Eye Health Care, says treatments have evolved as Gen Zs face a “second, more silent epidemic” linked to screen use – Dry Eye Disease.
● 90% of Gen Zs aged 18-25 have dry eye symptoms, prompting surgeons to rethink the way they treat young myopia sufferers who want to avoid a lifetime of glasses and contact lenses.2
● Demand for EVO Implantable Collamer Lenses (ICL), an alternative to laser eye surgery which is more suitable for those with dry eye risk factors, surged by 22% in the UK and Ireland in 2025 alone.
London, Tuesday 14th April 2026 – One of Britain’s leading eye surgeons has warned the UK faces an “emerging myopia epidemic” as levels of short-sightedness soar among youngsters.
Research published in the BMJ Open Ophthalmology journal forecasts that two out of five UK children and teenagers (40.5%), and almost half (47.6%) of adults over 20 will suffer from myopia by 2050.1
Myopia typically develops while the eyeball is still growing, and studies have shown that young people are more likely to become sufferers if they spend long periods focusing on objects held close like smartphones or tablets.3 Extended gadget use is also known to contribute to dry eyes and chronic Dry Eye Disease.4
Myopia sufferers can correct their vision by wearing glasses or contact lenses, but Optegra Eye Health Care, which runs 74 eye hospitals and clinics across the UK and Europe, has seen a surge in the number of young adults opting for a ground-breaking treatment called EVO ICLTM, which corrects the condition for the long term.
Mr Alastair Stuart, Medical Director at Optegra Eye Health Care, said: “Britain faces an emerging myopia epidemic as the Gen Zs, who are now in their teens and 20s, grow older.
“As the first digital native generation, many Gen Zs have grown up glued to their smartphones. Extended screen time is widely regarded as a contributing factor to the spike in myopia rates and dry eye syndrome.
“Fortunately, developing myopia when you’re young doesn’t necessarily commit you to a lifetime of wearing glasses or contact lenses. At Optegra, we offer a full range of vision correction treatments and thoroughly examine each patient’s eyes in order to guide them on the best option for them.
“For younger adult patients, this choice is now often influenced by a second, more silent epidemic – the rapid rise in the number of Gen Zs suffering from Dry Eye Disease.
“Laser surgery is not recommended for chronic dry eye sufferers, and this is increasingly prompting ophthalmic surgeons to steer younger adult myopia patients towards an alternative such as the EVO ICL procedure.
“This is a fast, typically pain-free and reversible procedure with excellent visual outcomes that does not cause or exacerbate dry eye syndrome.5,6,7 In it, the surgeon implants specially made biocompatible lenses close to the nodal point inside the patient’s eye, giving them sharp, clear vision for the long term.5,6
“As consumers have become more aware of the EVO ICL procedure and surgeons continue to see excellent results and high safety levels, the procedure has rapidly gained in popularity among patients and surgeons alike. Across Optegra’s UK hospitals we performed 43% more EVO ICL procedures in 2025 compared to 2024.”
One in three Britons suffers from Dry Eye Disease, which is a long-term condition that occurs when the eyes don’t make enough tears, or the tears evaporate too quickly, causing irritation, redness and blurred vision.8
Previously, Dry Eye Disease mostly affected older people. But a 2025 study in Birmingham found 90% of 18 to 25-year-olds showed symptoms and cited screen use as a major risk factor.2
Digital devices exacerbate dry eye symptoms because screen use reduces blinking by up to 60%, allowing the eye’s tear film protection to evaporate, causing ocular surface damage and irritation.
EVO ICLs work in a similar way to prescription contact lenses, but are placed inside the eye rather than on the surface. Implantable phakic intraocular lens surgery was first pioneered in the 1990s, but the technology has surged ahead in the past decade with the launch of the most advanced version, EVO ICL.
The number of EVO ICL procedures carried out across the UK and Ireland has grown on average by 16% a year since 2020 and jumped 22% last year alone.9 At Optegra Health Care, the rise is even steeper; its UK surgeons carried out 43% more EVO ICL operations in 2025 than in 2024.
EVO ICL surgery takes less than 30 minutes, similar to laser procedures. Most patients are able to see vision improvements immediately after the operation, with their vision improving further over subsequent days. The rapid recovery time enables patients to resume their everyday activities quickly.
ICL surgery typically costs around 30% more than a laser-based procedure, yet 99.4% of EVO patients say they are so thrilled with the results they would choose it all over again.10
The STAAR Surgical® family of ICLs, to which EVO belongs, are suitable for people aged 21 to 60, and can correct a wide range of vision problems including high myopia (short-sightedness), hypermetropia (long-sightedness) and astigmatism.
