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Shortsightedness has become an epidemic

economist.com

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Re: Shortsightedness has become an epidemic

#41

Post by jart »

harshreality wrote: post #29
jart wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What? Why do we need to genetically engineer people for wearing glasses?

Myopia is a risk factor for floaters, retinal detachment, and glaucoma. It's objectively not neutral, despite that glasses exist. Glasses are also inconvenient, cost money, can be lost or broken, and don't cover the entire field of vision, and contacts have their own problems.

I can't believe you're serious. I wear glasses and there's nothing wrong with me. Last thing I want is to live in a world where I'm pressured to be genetically engineered for having the wrong kind of eyes.

Re: Shortsightedness has become an epidemic

#42

Post by coffeeblack »

XorNot wrote: post #38
rhinoceraptor wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Quoted post unavailable.

Wisdom teeth used to just be a problem that either killed you, or you lived with lots of pain from, or you paid a guy to try and do something about them. I don't know why people are so big on "we used to not need X in the distant past" tropes: yes we did, but we also just let lots of people die from it, or live a life of agony or being shunned as ugly/unclean/unable.

If they killed that many people, how did they escape natural selection?

Re: Shortsightedness has become an epidemic

#43

Post by wiseowise »

rhinoceraptor wrote: post #34
nilsbunger wrote: post #2

I didn’t realize the evidence is strong that daylight keeps kids from becoming near-sighted. Making young kids study all the time is killing their eyesight!

Quoted post unavailable.

> It is abnormal for humans to need glasses. It's also abnormal for humans to need braces and to need their wisdom teeth surgically removed.

It's not. Just because there wasn't a documented cases of weakly sighted people doesn't mean that they didn't exist. Or do you seriously believe all prehistoric humans had 20/20 eyesight?

And unless your teeth are crooked line vines you probably don't need braces from medical standpoint. Unless it causes issues to your jaw. Same with wisdom teeth.

> The list of maladies caused by modern diet and lifestyle is infinite and unknowable.

What exactly in modern diet and lifestyle causes issues that you've listed?

Re: Shortsightedness has become an epidemic

#44

Post by wiseowise »

coffeeblack wrote: post #42
XorNot wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Wisdom teeth used to just be a problem that either killed you, or you lived with lots of pain from, or you paid a guy to try and do something about them. I don't know why people are so big on "we used to not need X in the distant past" tropes: yes we did, but we also just let lots of people die from it, or live a life of agony or being shunned as ugly/unclean/unable.

If they killed that many people, how did they escape natural selection?

Killederadicated.

Re: Shortsightedness has become an epidemic

#46

Post by lotsofpulp »

coffeeblack wrote: post #42
XorNot wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Wisdom teeth used to just be a problem that either killed you, or you lived with lots of pain from, or you paid a guy to try and do something about them. I don't know why people are so big on "we used to not need X in the distant past" tropes: yes we did, but we also just let lots of people die from it, or live a life of agony or being shunned as ugly/unclean/unable.

If they killed that many people, how did they escape natural selection?

If it happens after the person has a chance to raise offspring to a sufficient survival age, then it would not adversely affect natural selection.

Re: Shortsightedness has become an epidemic

#48

Post by lotsofpulp »

inglor_cz wrote: post #33
nilsbunger wrote: post #2

I didn’t realize the evidence is strong that daylight keeps kids from becoming near-sighted. Making young kids study all the time is killing their eyesight!

If we manage to have a kid, long walks everyday are planned :) More movement, less screen time is always good for health, parents' and kids' alike. Also, getting used to all sorts of weather improves the immune system. By spending too much time indoors we are becoming glasshouse flowers.

Everyone thinks this, until they pop out a second one and there is no time or energy to do anything outside work, cook, clean, and all the baby/toddler tasks.

Re: Shortsightedness has become an epidemic

#49

Post by coffeeblack »

Fordec wrote: post #15
scotty79 wrote: post #7

Could we just have rooms lit as strongly as outdoors?

Short answer, yes. Long answer, you'll need to really jack up the power consumption. Replicating a thing that in itself an energy source needs waaaay more than just a 60W light bulb.

60W would be some 10 LED lights that each are 100W equivalents to old glow lights. That would probably already do the trick in a small room.

Do people really still use old “light bulbs”?

Re: Shortsightedness has become an epidemic

#50

Post by [deleted] »

jart wrote: post #41
harshreality wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Myopia is a risk factor for floaters, retinal detachment, and glaucoma. It's objectively not neutral, despite that glasses exist. Glasses are also inconvenient, cost money, can be lost or broken, and don't cover the entire field of vision, and contacts have their own problems.

I can't believe you're serious. I wear glasses and there's nothing wrong with me. Last thing I want is to live in a world where I'm pressured to be genetically engineered for having the wrong kind of eyes.

[deleted]
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