Nearsightedness is on the increase


Myopia, or nearsightedness, is rapidly on the increase according to an American study, and many believe the blame lies within technology. All too often we take our eyes for granted, and don’t always realise the damage that reading things close up on the computer screens and so on can have on our eyes. The study shockingly revealed that myopia has nearly doubled in 1999 to 2004 compared to 1971 to 1972 with cases varying from mild to severe. This latest study has left scientists determined to find a cause of myopia in the hope they can do something to ease its rapid increase.

Myopia normally occurs in young children and can progress further during adolescence; and with many children and adolescents spending increased time on computers, video games and so forth, the susceptibility of their eyes is quite worrying. Myopia arises when the eyeball is long or the cornea is too curved which means that instead of light being focused on the retina it is focused in front of it, causing objects in the distance to become blurred. Where our lifestyle activities can create this problem is when our eyes become too used to what opticians call “near work” e.g. reading, using the internet and so on. Overtime this can cause the eyeball to change shape which leads to the prolonged problems when using our eyes for long distance. The reason adolescent’s eyes are most susceptible is due to the eye reaching its maximum length during teenage years. Therefore, if the right balance isn’t enforced for our eyes their length will be affected, leading to Myopia.

Myopia can be treated with the use of glasses or contact lenses, but doctors warn that this shouldn’t be taken for advantage. Myopia itself holds a risk of progressing into other forms of diseases such as blindness, retinal detachment and glaucoma. Whilst it may seem an extremity to suggest that Myopia can lead to blindness, it isn’t, as your eyes are longer, the retina becomes thinner as it is stretched and is prone to breaking. It can also affect children’s school work and result in headaches which is why it is vital it is found in its early stages, or even better, prevented from occurring by the long distance use of our eyes.  

20th December 2009

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