Posted on 08/05/2008 6:31:11 AM PDT by fightinJAG
ScienceDaily (Aug. 5, 2008) A growing number of the world's children are mildly to severely nearsighted (myopic), with rates especially high among urbanized East Asians. In addition to coping with poor distance vision, children with severe myopia are more prone to visual impairment and blindness later in life.
Although genetic inheritance plays a role, the rapid rise of myopia suggests that environmental factors are driving the trend. Myopia usually begins and progresses during children's school years, but research on the role of intensive reading or other "near work" has determined that this is a minor factor. A new study led by Kathryn A. Rose, MD, used data from the Sydney Myopia Study of more than 4,000 Australian school children to assess whether outdoor activity might be significant in controlling myopia.
(Excerpt) Read more at sciencedaily.com ...
I’m very myopic and I remember reading a lot but I also know that I spent most of my spare time outside. We lived in a small home in Texas. There were six in the family and my grandmother watched soap operas which I was not allowed to watch and was run outside. In fact, I only got to watch TV on Sunday nights. Did I mention no air conditioning?
Interesting. I also heard that if you sleep with the light on, it increases myopia or at least they claim that chickens in lighted barns are more prone to myopia than free range chickens.
I dont know if I believe this though. I grew up in the country and we were outside more than inside and I had severe myopia. So did my brother who was outside all the time.
People need to get outside more. Getting 15 minutes or more of sunlight on your eyes everyday is a good thing.
Video games, Computers, cell phones and iPods...............
Here, this'll open your eyes.............
There doesn’t seem to be any doubt that myopia is primarily a genetic condition. That said, it’s quite plausible to me that not ever looking far into the distance might cause one’s ability to do so to fall into disuse.
Today many kids even watch tv and movies on their computers, which are set right in front of them as per usual for computers. So they are not even looking across a room from the couch to the tv as they get their screen time.
I don’t know what you posted, but I just went blind.
They have done studies that hildren are myopic or more myopic on the eye closestto the “night light side” of the bed.
I read alot as a child and now. But only when confined. Other than that, I was out riding bikes, playing ball or any other tomboy activity I could find.
Of course there are always exceptions to the rules.
Not just get out more, but get a rifle and target practice and hunt. Nothing tightly focuses the eyes at a distance better than shooting. More gun training growing up means less myopia both physically and politically.
My parents used to always chastise me and tell me don’t sit so close to the television set. Now I spend ALL DAY in front of a computer monitor even closer than I sat as a child.
Actually, flourescent lights are the culprit. It will get much worse in the U.S. after regular light bulbs are banned.
ARRRRRGGGH! I’m BLIND!!!
Luckily I can still touch type...
Not according to my opthomologist.
Yep.
Ten years from now your opthomologist will be telling you something different.
Kids sitting in their rooms texting their friend next door, rather than meeting him at the fence.
LOL Probably so. And 10 years after that, it will be something different again.
I was wondering about that recently.
As more comes out about the sunscreen hoax and how people actually do need a certain amount of sunshine, I was wondering if the constant wear of sunglasses had a similar depriving effect on the eyes.
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