The National Eye Institute reported that nearsightedness is dramatically up in this country.
Nearsightedness, which is another word for myopia, is when distant objects appear blurry. Dr. Rishi Singh, an ophthalmologist at the Cleveland Clinic, has studied this data.
“The rates of myopia certainly have increased according to the study’s survey and the results are really quite impressive,” Singh said. “But in general, it doesn’t really give us a whole lot of information as far as why this is occurring.”
The Eye Institute compared myopia statistics from government surveys and found a 42 percent jump from 1999 to 2004. Whatever the cause, ophthalmologists say there is not much you can do to stop it.
“There really aren’t any ways to really prevent myopia, per se,” Singh said. “One of the things we do is recommend for patients, even in the age group where they’re concerned about their vision and the younger age group population, we recommend them to have a full ophthalmic examination with a dilated examination to look at the back of the eye.”
Doctors estimate that 47 million Americans age 20 and older are nearsighted. Nearsightedness can be corrected in several ways, from glasses and contacts to surgery. Lasik, the most popular form of surgery, reshapes the cornea.
