Why are more Americans becoming nearsighted (having trouble seeing distance)?
Distance vision is all a blur to more of us A study finds that 17% more Americans have myopia than 30 years ago. Close-up computer work could be a reason. For an increasing number of Americans, life’s a blur. That’s according to a population-based study published Monday showing that rates of myopia — difficulty seeing distant objects — are soaring. The trend is matched in many other countries, causing eye doctors to wonder what could be causing the decline in human vision. Some suspect both an increase in our close-up work time (think computer use) and a decrease in time spent outdoors. Researchers at the National Eye Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health, found that rates of myopia — also called nearsightedness — in people ages 12 to 54 increased from 25% in 1971-72 to 41.6% in 1999-2004. The study included people with a range of myopia, from mild to severe. “It’s very intriguing,” said lead author Susan Vitale, a research epidemiologist with the National Eye Instit
Nearsightedness, also called myopia, is when the eyes focus incorrectly to make distant objects appear blurred. This common problem can be treated by corrective eyeglasses or contact lenses or refractive surgery. Researchers don’t know why more Americans are becoming nearsighted, and “at this time, we really don’t know how to prevent myopia,” Dr. Susan Vitale of the National Eye Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, noted in a telephone interview with Reuters Health. “It’s really important to get regular eye examinations from an eye care professional,” she said. Vitale and colleagues used data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) to compare the percentage of black and white Americans aged 12 to 54 with myopia in 1971-1972 and 1999-2004. They used the same methods to determine myopia during both time periods. “We wanted to make it as similar as possible to get a feel for whether the prevalence was actually increasing or
