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Increased rates of myopia linked to reduced time outside, studies suggest (2015)

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Re: Increased rates of myopia linked to reduced time outside, studies suggest (2015)

#21

Post by fullstop »

ak39 wrote: post #2

I had 2020 vision till 2012 (39 years old then). I am convinced that my myopia onset was perceptibly accelerated with the purchase of my first "smart phone". And the constant use of it: Whatsapp & twitter. Can the damage be reversed?

Your eyes change shape as you age -- they get more "leathery". In my case, I had myopia from about 16 until I was 40, although I stopped wearing glasses a few years before I hit 40 because I found that I didn't really need them. My eyes are "rounder" now than they were when I was 16, and it will eventually go the other way and I will need bifocals / reading glasses.

Your body changes a lot around the 40 year mark and I don't think that it's related, at all, to your smart phone. I'm sure that those older than us can tell us what to expect in the next decade.

Re: Increased rates of myopia linked to reduced time outside, studies suggest (2015)

#22

Post by fullstop »

tluyben2 wrote: post #7
ak39 wrote: post #2

I had 2020 vision till 2012 (39 years old then). I am convinced that my myopia onset was perceptibly accelerated with the purchase of my first "smart phone". And the constant use of it: Whatsapp & twitter. Can the damage be reversed?

Is there any proof/research that it is because of smartphones (screens?)? My anecdote; I have had myopia since I was 7 (I am 45 now), 1 year before my first computer. Since then I have spent most my waking life behind screens and my myopia has been getting less slowly since my first glasses. I now can see quite well without glasses which I could not do 15+ years ago. Also, I should be up for reading glasses soon, but…

> I now can see quite well without glasses which I could not do 15+ years ago.

This happened to me at 40. The eye doctor explained that human eyes get thicker and more leathery as we age, which changes their shape. So if you're myopic before this time, you have a decent chance of having improved vision. It eventually goes the other way, though, and reading glasses or bifocals are needed to correct your vision.

Re: Increased rates of myopia linked to reduced time outside, studies suggest (2015)

#23

Post by garyclarke27 »

Since I started walking our dog everyday on the beach, for health reasons, I’ve noticed a definite improvement in my eyesight, I still don’t need glasses age 56. I also remember when when I had a job in London that required commuting on the tube my eyesight deteriorated quickly, when I switched jobs and drove to work, it got better again, driving gives your eyes a good workout because one constantly switches focus between far and close objects.

Re: Increased rates of myopia linked to reduced time outside, studies suggest (2015)

#24

Post by mywacaday »

tluyben2 wrote: post #7
ak39 wrote: post #2

I had 2020 vision till 2012 (39 years old then). I am convinced that my myopia onset was perceptibly accelerated with the purchase of my first "smart phone". And the constant use of it: Whatsapp & twitter. Can the damage be reversed?

Is there any proof/research that it is because of smartphones (screens?)? My anecdote; I have had myopia since I was 7 (I am 45 now), 1 year before my first computer. Since then I have spent most my waking life behind screens and my myopia has been getting less slowly since my first glasses. I now can see quite well without glasses which I could not do 15+ years ago. Also, I should be up for reading glasses soon, but…

Pre smartphone days(1997) but when I was in college I had to get glasses to see the whiteboard at the end of the first year spent looking at monitors and a drafting board for large periods of the day. I spent my summers lifeguarding on a beach so three months off staring hard into the distance from 10am to 7pm 6 days a week with hardly any screen time. When returning to college in September I could see the board without glasses for the first 2-3 months but then would revert to needing glasses. This cycle repeated itself for several years but the time reverting to glasses got shorter each year. Sample size of 1, YMMV

Re: Increased rates of myopia linked to reduced time outside, studies suggest (2015)

#26

Post by Tepix »

notkid wrote: post #13

The other side of this problem is that more than one billion people around the world can't afford glasses. "More than a billion people around the world need eyeglasses but don’t have them, researchers say, an affliction long overlooked on lists of public health priorities. Some estimates put that figure closer to 2.5 billion people. They include thousands of nearsighted Nigerian truck drivers who strain to see pedest…

Related humanitarian NGO: EinDollarBrille e.v. https://www.onedollarglasses.org/

Re: Increased rates of myopia linked to reduced time outside, studies suggest (2015)

#27

Post by sprflyprgrmrguy »

ak39 wrote: post #2

I had 2020 vision till 2012 (39 years old then). I am convinced that my myopia onset was perceptibly accelerated with the purchase of my first "smart phone". And the constant use of it: Whatsapp & twitter. Can the damage be reversed?

I'm in my mid 30's, 2020 vision, have been in front of a computer for the last 20+ years, and smart phone since the first android phone.

I still have 2020 vision.

Re: Increased rates of myopia linked to reduced time outside, studies suggest (2015)

#28

Post by onetimemanytime »

littlestymaar wrote: post #4

Related: myopia is one of the most common health problem that occurs to prisoners.

makes perfect sense, we're not made to stay inside all the time. Veer too far from our genes and problems start...

Re: Increased rates of myopia linked to reduced time outside, studies suggest (2015)

#29

Post by thrav »

fghkbvj wrote: post #9

Isn't myopia beneficial? When eyes get adapted to screens, books maybe it's bettter? I can see every single pixel on screens and it's very useful in daily life. Far sight is useful only rarely - when driving, and when hiking in mountains. And near sight worsens with age, maybe previous myopia slightly prevents that. On quora they agree https://www.quora.com/What-are-the-benefits-being-short-sigh... Thanks for remindi…

I have a hard time believing that’s better than seeing both with absolute clarity, which is certainly possible.

Re: Increased rates of myopia linked to reduced time outside, studies suggest (2015)

#30

Post by chakintosh »

sprflyprgrmrguy wrote: post #27
ak39 wrote: post #2

I had 2020 vision till 2012 (39 years old then). I am convinced that my myopia onset was perceptibly accelerated with the purchase of my first "smart phone". And the constant use of it: Whatsapp & twitter. Can the damage be reversed?

I'm in my mid 30's, 2020 vision, have been in front of a computer for the last 20+ years, and smart phone since the first android phone. I still have 2020 vision.

I believe genetics play a role in that. We are 7 siblings, every one of us has myopia. My parents too.
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