I just came across a staggering study that was done by the National Eye Institute that found that Americans have gone from 25% myopic (nearsighted) in the 1970’s to 41% this year. While the report didn’t focus on what has caused this increase, there have been several experts who have commented that one cause is likely the increase of “near-work”, such as working on the computer, texting and the increased usage of smart-phones, which requires great focus on a very small screen. When you spend a lot of time focusing your eyes on near objects, you aren’t stimulating your far vision enough, causing problems in vision development.
As a parent of a 5 year old boy, I am acutely concerned about the vision development aspect. It is important to make sure my son doesn’t spend too much time playing on the computer or watching TV and that he is spending time outside where his far vision is going to get the most stimulation. Not only is this healthy for his body to be playing outdoors instead of sitting on a couch, but it is also healthy for his vision.
This outcome of this study illustrates the increased need to have an annual eye examination. As we are spending more and more time at computers, using smart-phones with small text, etc, our vision is likely to get worse, which means we need to see our Indianapolis eye doctors on a regular basis to monitor our eye health and our vision needs.