| Title | Researchers Find Reason for Doubling of Nearsightedness During the Past 50 Years | |
| Date | Saturday March 28 2015, @11:25AM | |
| Author | janrinok | |
| Topic | ||
| from the I-can't-see dept. | ||
As reported by TreeHugger
In the U.S. and Europe, myopia for kids and young adults has doubled; in China it’s up 80 percent. Scientists think they’ve found out why, and it’s probably not what you think.
For years the thinking was that myopia was largely genetic, but research began to show that it wasn’t purely a matter of genes. And indeed, the current increase in myopia reflects a similar increase in children reading and studying more. But surprisingly, it’s not the reading and computers and smartphones that are to blame. Now researchers believe that it’s the very act of spending too much time inside that is causing the problem.
After a great deal of research and eliminating other factors, scientists now think that it boils down to exposure to bright light. The leading hypothesis is that light stimulates the release of dopamine in the retina, and this neurotransmitter in turn blocks the elongation of the eye during development.
Based on epidemiological studies, Ian Morgan, a myopia researcher at the Australian National University in Canberra, recommends that children spend three hours per day under light levels of at least 10,000 lux for protection against the condition. Ten thousand lux would be about the amount of light one would get from beneath a shady tree on a bright summer day (and wearing sunglasses). For comparison, a well-lit schoolroom or office is generally under 500 lux.
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printed from SoylentNews, Researchers Find Reason for Doubling of Nearsightedness During the Past 50 Years on 2024-04-25 09:26:49