Nearsightedness or Myopia is when the eyes focus incorrectly, making distant objects appear to be blurred. The problem can be cured by corrective eyeglasses, contact lenses or refractive surgery.
A new study by the National Eye Institute shows that nearsightedness or Myopia has risen in America 66%. In the 1970’s the percentage of people who suffered from Myopia was 25%, as opposed to this last decade, when the percentage grew to 41%. That is 40-50 million Americans. A whopping figure! It costs Americans 2 to 3 billion dollars per year, to treat.
Among the contributing factors which we can pinpoint are genetics – that is if your parents had nearsightedness, there is a good chance that you too will acquire it and a lack of outdoor light.
While it stands right now as just a hypothesis, society’s growing dependence on computers, cell phones and video games, very well may be a cause. Activities such as these and reading are called, “near-work”, and as you may have noticed they DO strain the eyes.
In 2009 alone, an approximate total of 110 billion text messages were sent. This is double the amount from last year.
Good advice is to look into getting a regular eye exam. And for parents, switch off that computer and TV and send your kids outside to play in the sun.
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