Do you wear glasses? No? Then by 2050 you just might.
According to a new paper in the journal Ophthalmology, 49.8% of the world population will suffer from nearsightedness.
Kovin Naidoo, OD, Ph.D., a co-author of the study has said, ““It is not a small thing to make a prediction like this—when was the last time you heard a public health prediction that affects 50% of the world’s population? This is a true global health crisis, and is rare in that whether you live in Africa or Australia, it will have a huge consequence.”
The two major reasons for predicting such a rise in near-sightedness is doing less outdoor activities and doing more work that involves staring at objects nearby out the range of sight.
The work involving nearby objects include staring at computer and laptop screens and reading on phones. The authors also noted that since urbanization and development are on the increase, the problem wasn’t going to stop or reduce.
In the US alone, the cases on near-sightedness have risen by a drastic 66% in the years from 1997 to 2000.
Mark Jacquot, OD, a clinical director at LensCrafters says, “It is more important than ever to make comprehensive eye exams an indispensable component of routine health care.”
But all is not lost. There’s a way to help yourself and save yourself from this.
“Various interventions have been researched but the one has got the greatest traction is that if children spend two hours or more a day outdoors, that is protective. Some argue it’s about looking at further distances, and there’s some evidence that it’s because of a chemical release in the retina. More results are coming in around the globe all the time but the reality is there is acceptance of the fact that spending two hours or more outside is protective. You could spend a long time reading computers and screens, but also spend two hours outdoors and it’s still protective. From the time kids are small, they should be spending time outdoors and one good thing about Australia is we’re culturally amenable to that concept.”
Even though there is still a way to protect your eyes, as they say, prevention is better than cure.
Time to give your precious eyes a break.
News Sources: Huffingtonpost, Health, The Atlantic