It started in 9th grade. I was in geometry class and those linear equation graphs were on the projector.
The screen was blurry, so I raised my hand and asked, “Can you adjust the projector?” I can’t read it.” Several students turned and stared at me. Then I knew.
It was just the beginning of an increasingly common eye problem. One hospital in Guangzhou had the largest eye center in China and had to build an additional department for the avalanche of young people with nearsightedness – also called myopia. And it’s not just screens that are causing the problem.
The origin of our new problem
For decades, scientists were convinced that vision problems were purely genetic. You either had it or you didn’t.
That is still the case to some extent. If one parent is nearsighted, the risk of developing myopia is doubled. If two parents are nearsighted, your chances increase fourfold. Yet it is believed that our ancestors had much less eye problems.
In 1971, only 25% of people were nearsighted. In 2004 this was already 42%. And with the current trend, about half of the world’s population will be nearsighted by 2050.
Our eyeballs are almost 70% of their adult size at birth and are typically shaped like a basketball. As we grow, the eye lengthens from front to back.
Dopamine is released in the retina when you are exposed to sunlight. This helps regulate eye growth, especially during adolescence. When you spend significantly more time indoors, your eyes don’t know when to start or stop growing, and this contributes to nearsightedness.
This matches my own experience. I was one of the many boys in love with video games.
One of my friends started out as farsighted, but as he started playing more games, he became nearsighted (and for the record, I’m not suggesting this as a solution for the farsighted).
Myopia is much more common in East Asia. In countries such as Korea, China and Singapore, myopia fluctuates around 70-80%. Children spend much less time outdoors and are less exposed to the sun. This is further exacerbated by their intensely competitive academic system, which requires students to spend excessive hours studying and using technology.
The underlying mechanisms
When your eyes focus up close, it stimulates the peripheral retina, which lengthens the eyes and therefore increases myopia. In countries where students are forced to spend fixed hours outdoors, there has been a marked decrease in myopia. When you see countries urbanizing and industrializing, you can draw a straight line to more people needing glasses.
That makes sense at first glance: depth perception is pointless if you live in a place where every building is only a few hundred meters away. In many cities you can’t even see the horizon.
This issue is important. We’re not just talking about a prescription for your glasses. This affects overall health. If you develop myopia at a very young age, it usually worsens even more quickly and can lead to actual vision loss.
Some tips — for adults and children
Parents: make sure your kids spend 90 minutes outside every day. This is especially true if they have myopia.
If you are an adult and already have it, the same applies. The frustrating thing is that once you develop myopia, there is no going back – unless you get help – like I did.
Doctors have several options for correcting vision when you are young. One treatment is Orthokeratology (or Ortho-K), a contact lens that children wear at night to reshape the eyeball.
For adults – there is Lasik – which I did five years ago. To this day I have perfect vision and have been spared the annoying annual visits to the optometrist, putting in and taking out contact lenses and dealing with dry eyes. I paid $2000 and it was worth every cent. There was no pain. But I still work to take care of my eyes because I don’t want to lose that investment or the incredible convenience it brings.
I work full time as an online writer. Eye strain and damage are a constant concern and nuisance. My ophthalmologist taught me to make sure I look away from the screen for at least 30 seconds every 15 to 20 minutes. If you can, look at something at least 30 feet away. It won’t fix myopia if you already have it. But it will reduce headaches and fatigue associated with eye strain.
I usually exercise in the morning and then take a 45-minute walk outdoors later in the day, just to get away from the screen and promote overall health. Remember: Eye strain is subtle and sneaks up on you. It doesn’t wince like an injury does. Some signs of eye strain may include sensitivity to light, loss of ability to concentrate, and a headache in the front of your forehead.
My concern is that we adults have fewer and fewer reasons to go outside, and children face an increasingly competitive academic system. Students are preparing for their SAT earlier and earlier and want to get the most out of it. There is less room for mistakes and when children do not study, they are immersed in social media and TikTok. If you have the power, try to get young people out. Or even better: set a good example.
You can do everything right and still be nearsighted. You can also do everything wrong and ruin great eye genetics.
Just because you’re reading this article on a digital screen suggests that many of you are logging many hours in front of your devices. That in itself is not bad at all, and it is quite good that you use this time to read. Make sure you manage your time and take care of your eyes.
And if you have kids, don’t let an iPad become their babysitter.