Myopia treatment 'smart glasses' from Japan to be sold in Asia • Hacker News Board

Re: Myopia treatment 'smart glasses' from Japan to be sold in Asia

#91

Post by throwawayboise » Mon, Jan 25, 2021, 9:20 PM UTC

frankohn wrote: post #72

jdtang13 wrote: post #46

The "myopia is purely genetic" zeitgeist has been continually shoved down all of our throats in the west. Meanwhile, studies from Taiwan, Japan, and Korea show that myopia truly has an environmental component to it, e.g. childhood eyestrain and video games. It's also undeniable that myopia manifests more in middle class workers than working class, which indicates some sort of systematic environmental component. Since…

The predisposition to myopia is genetic but one becomes myopic due to an environmental factor: the lack of exposure to sunlight. It is because of the lack to regular exposure to sunlight that people who study and spend a lot of time in homes can develop myopia if they are genetically predisposed. Focusing on nearby objects does not lead to myopia. Doing gymnastics with the eyes has no effect. Likewise, using under-si…

There may be some correlation but there must be other factors. Doesn't fit my history. I'm myopic, -6.0 diopter, needed glasses starting in 2nd grade. Spent a lot of time outdoors as a kid (no computers, 3 channels of TV which was targeted at grownups except for Saturday morning). Being inside was boring.

Nearsightedness also runs in the family on my fathers side, but strangely none of my kids need glasses and they all grew up with much more TV and other screen time than I had.

Re: Myopia treatment 'smart glasses' from Japan to be sold in Asia

#92

Post by banana_maker » Mon, Jan 25, 2021, 9:20 PM UTC

teyc wrote: post #77

simlevesque wrote: post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have bad myopia (around -5) both my parents have it too and to me it has always been evident that it isn't purely genetic. I think I could willfuly downgrade my vision if I concentrated.

Not sure if it'll help, there's an older gentleman on Youtube who claims reading with glasses actually makes myopia worse with time, due to the way it affects the shape of the eyeballs. Look up Tod Becker.

Really? We're taking medical advice from random people on youtube?

How is this any different from a youtuber claiming the earth is flat or vaccines cause autism?

Re: Myopia treatment 'smart glasses' from Japan to be sold in Asia

#93

Post by WORLD_ENDS_SOON » Mon, Jan 25, 2021, 9:20 PM UTC

whoisburbansky wrote: post #2

It looks like the article doesn't have any details on how this works, anybody care to speculate on a potential mechanism here?

Completely speculation, but I wonder if it's using the same mechanism explored in the famous upside down goggles experiment: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upside_down_goggles Gizmodo article talking about the effect: https://io9.gizmodo.com/does-your-brain-really-have-the-powe...

Basically, if you wear goggles that distort your vision for long enough, your visual processing adapts and "corrects" for the distortion such that you can function normally. Then if you remove the goggles your brain still tries to correct for the distortion that isn't there (for a while at least), so the world appears distorted without the glasses.

Re: Myopia treatment 'smart glasses' from Japan to be sold in Asia

#94

Post by digikata » Mon, Jan 25, 2021, 9:21 PM UTC

frankohn wrote: post #72

jdtang13 wrote: post #46

The "myopia is purely genetic" zeitgeist has been continually shoved down all of our throats in the west. Meanwhile, studies from Taiwan, Japan, and Korea show that myopia truly has an environmental component to it, e.g. childhood eyestrain and video games. It's also undeniable that myopia manifests more in middle class workers than working class, which indicates some sort of systematic environmental component. Since…

The predisposition to myopia is genetic but one becomes myopic due to an environmental factor: the lack of exposure to sunlight. It is because of the lack to regular exposure to sunlight that people who study and spend a lot of time in homes can develop myopia if they are genetically predisposed. Focusing on nearby objects does not lead to myopia. Doing gymnastics with the eyes has no effect. Likewise, using under-si…

This reminds me of archetypal idyllic images of ancient Greek education where a philosopher is teaching a group of students in an outdoor amphitheater. Maybe we need to redesign our schools to be outdoor, or at least with indoor structures with generous amounts of natural lighting.

Re: Myopia treatment 'smart glasses' from Japan to be sold in Asia

#95

Post by himinlomax » Mon, Jan 25, 2021, 9:21 PM UTC

jdtang13 wrote: post #46

The "myopia is purely genetic" zeitgeist has been continually shoved down all of our throats in the west. Meanwhile, studies from Taiwan, Japan, and Korea show that myopia truly has an environmental component to it, e.g. childhood eyestrain and video games. It's also undeniable that myopia manifests more in middle class workers than working class, which indicates some sort of systematic environmental component. Since…

The currently favored theory is that it's due to a lack of UV light reaching the eye. It's not (just) video games, it's (also) school and generally being indoors instead of out at midday.

Re: Myopia treatment 'smart glasses' from Japan to be sold in Asia

#96

Post by itwy » Mon, Jan 25, 2021, 9:22 PM UTC

Geee wrote: post #90

frankohn wrote: post #72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The predisposition to myopia is genetic but one becomes myopic due to an environmental factor: the lack of exposure to sunlight. It is because of the lack to regular exposure to sunlight that people who study and spend a lot of time in homes can develop myopia if they are genetically predisposed. Focusing on nearby objects does not lead to myopia. Doing gymnastics with the eyes has no effect. Likewise, using under-si…

As a kid, I remember that my myopia disappeared after one summer when I was outdoors a lot. Then it came back soon after returning to school.

I don't think it works like that.

Re: Myopia treatment 'smart glasses' from Japan to be sold in Asia

#97

Post by astura » Mon, Jan 25, 2021, 9:24 PM UTC

dmitryminkovsky wrote: post #70

ysw0 wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I asked the optometrist. He was a little offended that I wasn't going to use the new measurements but I pleaded with him enough that he relented. One very interesting thing that convinced me to start doing this: if you get measurements taken at night (vs early in the day), your prescriptions will be stronger as your eyes are already tired. So your new glasses may be too strong for you but your eyes will adapt to it a…

Was this in the US? I’ve tried and everyone told me filling an expired prescription is illegal. Even places that don’t do exams. I have an old prescription and don’t want to get an exam because of the pandemic.

I'm assuming the optometrist wrote a new prescription for the old measurements.

Re: Myopia treatment 'smart glasses' from Japan to be sold in Asia

#98

Post by buss » Mon, Jan 25, 2021, 9:25 PM UTC

simlevesque wrote: post #59

jdtang13 wrote: post #46

The "myopia is purely genetic" zeitgeist has been continually shoved down all of our throats in the west. Meanwhile, studies from Taiwan, Japan, and Korea show that myopia truly has an environmental component to it, e.g. childhood eyestrain and video games. It's also undeniable that myopia manifests more in middle class workers than working class, which indicates some sort of systematic environmental component. Since…

I have bad myopia (around -5) both my parents have it too and to me it has always been evident that it isn't purely genetic. I think I could willfuly downgrade my vision if I concentrated.

I have hypermyopia (-12.5 left, -13 right) and my sister has 20/15 vision. Same childhood environment as her and I needed glasses before I could even read, let alone before I ever played a video game.

It's well beyond a genetic predisposition, it was a genetic guarantee for me.

Re: Myopia treatment 'smart glasses' from Japan to be sold in Asia

#99

Post by ekianjo » Mon, Jan 25, 2021, 9:25 PM UTC

jdtang13 wrote: post #46

The "myopia is purely genetic" zeitgeist has been continually shoved down all of our throats in the west. Meanwhile, studies from Taiwan, Japan, and Korea show that myopia truly has an environmental component to it, e.g. childhood eyestrain and video games. It's also undeniable that myopia manifests more in middle class workers than working class, which indicates some sort of systematic environmental component. Since…

> "myopia is purely genetic"

I have never heard that Myopia is purely genetic. Where is that claim even coming from?

Re: Myopia treatment 'smart glasses' from Japan to be sold in Asia

#100

Post by meowface » Mon, Jan 25, 2021, 9:26 PM UTC

itwy wrote: post #96

Geee wrote: post #90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As a kid, I remember that my myopia disappeared after one summer when I was outdoors a lot. Then it came back soon after returning to school.

I don't think it works like that.

It does seem like a convenient "just-so" anecdote, and I've never experienced or heard of myopia just going away like that, but I also don't think it sounds completely implausible.