Myopia is increasing.
Myopia is a late Greek term where one can see things close to the eye yet have difficulty seeing far. Also known as nearsighted which means one is sighted at near but unable to clearly see things far away. It is also known as shortsightedness where one can only see a short distance clearly.
World wide more and more children are developing myopia. Some of it is hereditary. Nearsighted parents have a higher chance of having nearsighted children. Part of it is because to the way we are all using our eyes now. Traditionally, for children learning occurred from reading a book and then having a teacher across the room explain what we have read. So naturally there was a change in the distance at which we use our eyes. Now the teacher is virtual, inside a computer which is just 20-24” from the eyes. Back in the day, kids would go outside and play. Now a days most entertainment is on a device held about 16” from their eyes, often for hours at a time. So literally is possible to spend the entire day looking at things up close. This is very unnatural for us as a species of humans. Simply put the visual system gets stressed by looking at things up close for long periods of time and this is the stimulus for the eyes to adapt and become myopic. It has been recognized as a public health problem in some Asian countries. Approximately 90% of Asian teens and young adults are myopic. The departments of public health has intervened and made suggestions to parents, teachers and other care givers on how to reduce the risks of developing nearsightedness.
What can we do? Examine children's eyes once a year at the optometrist office, where the child's vision should be tested at distance and near. Some eye doctors manage the progression with special eye glasses, contact lenses or drops. Parents can limit the time on near devices. We all should be taking a break from screens every 20-30 minutes and looking about 20 feet for 30-60 seconds. This is my variation of the 20/20/20 rule of every 20 minutes looking 20 feet for 20 seconds. Although it is easy to remember the rule, I don't think 20 seconds is a long enough break. And here's some retro advice from moms of yesteryear “ go outside and play”. Mothers wanted some peace and quiet in their house. I want kids to be able to look into the distance and have the experience of sunlight outdoors that research is showing helps to keep kids from developing myopia.
This is no means the entire story of myopia and it's management. To assume so would be short-sighted ----pun intended. Talk with your optometrist about it. Check the AAOMC.ORG website for more information and to find a provider near you.