Is Technology Stealing Your Eyesight?

An epidemic of myopia, or nearsightedness, is occurring at younger ages. Too

much screentime and not enough time outdoors have been pinpointed as the likely
culprits.

STORY AT-A-GLANCE
 The way technology has infiltrated our lives, in many cases from morning until
well into the night, has dramatically changed the way humans use their eyes in
just a short blip of time
 The prevalence of myopia (nearsightedness) has increased in recent decades,
especially in East Asia, and the numbers are expected to get worse in the next
50 years
  For some populations in Asia, especially university students, myopia
prevalence is over 90%
 When a person is nearsighted, their eyeballs become elongated, an anatomical
change that’s irreversible and increases the risk of serious vision problems,
including blindness
 Home confinement due to the COVID-19 pandemic was associated with
worsening myopia in children
 No treatments are capable of curing myopia; prevention is a better option, and
spending more time outdoors — and far less time on screens — is key,
especially for children

Myopia, or nearsightedness, causes faraway objects to appear blurry while close-up

objects look clear. One of the greatest risk factors for myopia is having a parent who
also suffers from this vision problem.1 As such, it’s long been considered a primarily
genetic condition — until recently.

Speaking with The Atlantic, Dr. Marina Su, a New York City optometrist, noticed
that more children in her practice had declining vision, even though their parents’
vision was perfect. “If it’s only genetics, then why are these kids also getting
myopic?” she said.2 Myopia is on the rise worldwide — not just in New York City —
and there’s debate over what’s driving the change.

A frontrunner is the theory that technology — particularly staring at screens all day
— is the culprit, leading to problems with vision at younger and younger ages, which
could lead to “an epidemic of blindness that’s decades down the road,” according to
Dr. Michael Repka, an ophthalmology professor at Johns Hopkins University. 3

An Epidemic of Myopia
The prevalence of myopia has increased in recent decades, especially in East Asia,
and the numbers are expected to get worse in the next 50 years. In 2019, the
American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) established the Task Force on Myopia
to address the “substantial global increases in myopia prevalence and its associated
complications.”4
In a report from the Task Force, it’s stated that the prevalence of myopia is expected
to grow from 1,406 million people, or 22.9% of the population, in 2000 to 4,758
million people — 49.8% of the population, in 2050.5 Severe nearsightedness, known
as high myopia, is also expected to rise, from 163 million people (2.7% of the
population) in 2000 to 938 million people (9.8% of the population) in 2050. 6

For some populations in Asia, especially university students, myopia prevalence is

over 90%.7 Among young adults in East and Southeast Asia, 80% to 90% have
myopia and 10% to 20% have high myopia. The tendency to study long hours and
perform “near work” with the eyes has long been linked to poor eyesight. 8 According
to The Atlantic:9

“Historically, British doctors have found myopia to be much more common among
Oxford students than among military recruits, and in ‘more rigorous’ town schools
than in rural ones. A late-19th-century ophthalmology handbook even suggested
treating myopia with a change of air and avoidance of all work with the eyes — ‘a
sea voyage if possible.’”

It’s a concerning trend that goes far beyond the inconvenient need to wear glasses.
The fact is, the way technology has infiltrated our lives, in many cases from morning
until well into the night, has changed the way humans use their eyes dramatically in
just a short blip of time.

“Long ago, humans were hunters and gatherers,” Liandra Jung, an optometrist in the
Bay Area, told The Atlantic. “We relied on our sharp distance vision to track prey
and find ripe fruit. Now our modern lives are close-up and indoors. ‘To get food, we
forage by getting Uber Eats,’” she said.”10

Progressive Myopia Carries Significant Risks

The increasingly early onset of myopia in children, combined with high progression
rates, paints a particularly poor picture for the future, which could easily lead to an
“epidemic of high myopia” even in children as young as 11 to 13 years of age. 11 When
a person is nearsighted, their eyeballs become elongated, an anatomical change that’s
irreversible and increases the risk of serious vision problems, especially later in life.

According to the AAO Task Force, by age 75, 3.8% of people with myopia and 39%
of those with high myopia have “uncorrectable visual impairment.” 12 In other words,
myopia increases the risk of conditions that can cause permanent blindness, including
retinal detachment, cataracts and glaucoma, even when myopia is low to moderate
severity.13

The AAO task force explained that the widespread clinical and societal impacts of
increasing myopia prevalence require a “coordinated global response,” 14 particularly
since the younger a person is at onset, the faster progression tends to be. 15 AAO
added:16

“It is projected that uncorrectable visual impairment resulting from myopia will
increase 7 to 13 times in high-risk areas by 2055. The public health burden posed by
myopia extends beyond the direct costs associated with the optical correction of
refractive error and includes the socioeconomic impacts and diminished qualify of
life associated with visual impairment.”

In China, large-scale changes have been implemented to combat the growing trend of
myopia in children. Along with restricting video games, no written tests are given
before third grade, and metal bars have even been added to school desks so children
are forced to stay farther away from their schoolwork.17

Screen Time, Lack of Outdoors to Blame?

With the rate of technological development continuing to grow exponentially, it’s
unclear if anyone envisioned how society would become obsessed with staring at
screens, such that our waking hours are dominated by them in one form or another.

Vision is suffering as a result. Writing in the journal Progress in Retinal and Eye
Research, a team of experts identified intensive education (i.e., more studying) and
limited time outdoors as the major risk factors in the epidemic of myopia. 18 They
wrote:
“The localization of the epidemic appears to be due to the high educational pressures
and limited time outdoors in the region, rather than to genetically elevated sensitivity
to these factors.

Causality has been demonstrated in the case of time outdoors through randomized
clinical trials in which increased time outdoors in schools has prevented the onset of
myopia. In the case of educational pressures, evidence of causality comes from the
high prevalence of myopia and high myopia in Jewish boys attending Orthodox
schools in Israel compared to their sisters attending religious schools, and boys and
girls attending secular schools.

Combining increased time outdoors in schools, to slow the onset of myopia, with
clinical methods for slowing myopic progression, should lead to the control of this
epidemic, which would otherwise pose a major health challenge. Reforms to the
organization of school systems to reduce intense early competition for accelerated
learning pathways may also be important.”

AAO also stated, “Too much time spent indoors increases a child’s risk for
nearsightedness. Studies show that more time outdoors in natural light reduces a
child’s risk.”19 Similarly, French researchers described “outdoor activities” as one of
the most promising treatments for myopia in children.20

An alarming increase was further identified in myopia in children in 2020, when

home lockdowns occurred, keeping an already nature-starved population indoors
even more. One study found that home confinement due to the COVID-19 pandemic
was associated with worsening myopia in children. Myopia prevalence among
children aged 6 to 8 years increased 1.4 to three times in 2020 compared to the five
years prior.21

Another study, published in the American Journal of Ophthalmology, described

digital screen time during the COVID-19 pandemic as a “risk for a further myopia
boom.” “Increased digital screen time, near work, and limited outdoor activities were
found to be associated with the onset and progression of myopia, and could
potentially be aggravated during and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak
period,” they wrote in 2021.22
Moving Toward Myopia Control
With nearsightedness worsening in young children, treatments aimed at myopia
control, or myopia management, are becoming more popular. Myopia-control clinics
have popped up in well-to-do areas throughout the U.S., and they’re also common in
China. Myopia control aims to slow the rate of axial elongation that occurs in the
disorder.23

Treatments include atropine eye drops, multifocal soft contact lenses and
orthokeratology lenses (OrthoK), which are worn overnight. OrthoK are contact
lenses that reshape the eyeball’s clear, front layer, changing the way light enters the
eye and helping to improve vision.24

No treatments are capable of curing myopia, however; they’re only able to slow down
its progression. Prevention is a better option, and spending more time outdoors —
and far less time on screens — is key for that, especially in young children.

Blue Light Exposure From Screens Also

Dangerous
Technology is interfering with eyesight in multiple ways, not only because people are
spending so much time focused on close-up screens but also because they’re being
exposed to blue light in the process. Data presented at the 60th Annual European
Society for Pediatric Endocrinology Meeting further revealed that longer exposure to
blue light was associated with earlier onset of puberty in rats, along with reduced
levels of melatonin, increased levels of certain reproductive hormones and changes in
the ovaries.25

LEDs found in many screens have virtually no beneficial infrared light and an excess
of blue light that generates reactive oxygen species (ROS), harming your vision and
possibly leading to age-related macular degeneration (AMD), 26 which is the leading
cause of blindness among the elderly in the U.S. LED lights may also exacerbate
mitochondrial dysfunction leading to chronic conditions ranging from metabolic
disorders to cancer.
“Although not conclusive, we would advise that the use of blue light emitting devices
should be minimized in prepubertal children, especially in the evening when exposure
may have the most hormone-altering effects,” Dr. Aylin Kilinç Uğurlu said in a news
release.

If you view screens at night, it’s therefore essential to block your exposure to blue
light while doing so. In the case of your computer, you can install a program to
automatically lower the color temperature of your screen. In addition, when watching
TV or other screens, be sure to wear blue-blocking glasses after sundown. Better yet,
eliminate the use of screens entirely after sunset, particularly in young children who
are most susceptible to their deleterious effects.

<< PREV

Disclaimer: The entire contents of this website are based upon the opinions of Dr.
Mercola, unless otherwise noted. Individual articles are based upon the opinions of
the respective author, who retains copyright as marked.

The information on this website is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship

with a qualified health care professional and is not intended as medical advice. It is
intended as a sharing of knowledge and information from the research and
experience of Dr. Mercola and his community. Dr. Mercola encourages you to make
your own health care decisions based upon your research and in partnership with a
qualified health care professional. The subscription fee being requested is for access
to the articles and information posted on this site, and is not being paid for any
individual medical advice.

If you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication, or have a medical condition, consult
your health care professional before using products based on this content.

American Academy of Ophthalmology, Nearsightedness: What Is Myopia?

2
The Atlantic September 13, 2022

The Atlantic September 13, 2022

Ophthalmology June 2021, Volume 128, Issue 6, Pages 816-826

Ophthalmology June 2021, Volume 128, Issue 6, Pages 816-826

Ophthalmology June 2021, Volume 128, Issue 6, Pages 816-826

Eye (Lond). 2014 Feb; 28(2): 147–153

Prog Retin Eye Res. 2018 Jan;62:134-149. doi: 10.1016/j.preteyeres.2017.09.004. Epub 2017
Sep 23

The Atlantic September 13, 2022

10

The Atlantic September 13, 2022

11

Prog Retin Eye Res. 2018 Jan;62:134-149. doi: 10.1016/j.preteyeres.2017.09.004. Epub 2017
Sep 23

12
Ophthalmology June 2021, Volume 128, Issue 6, Pages 816-826

13

Eye (Lond). 2014 Feb; 28(2): 147–153

14

Ophthalmology June 2021, Volume 128, Issue 6, Pages 816-826

15

American Optometric Association, Clinical Report: Myopia Management, Page 4

16

Ophthalmology June 2021, Volume 128, Issue 6, Pages 816-826

17

The Atlantic September 13, 2022

18

Prog Retin Eye Res. 2018 Jan;62:134-149. doi: 10.1016/j.preteyeres.2017.09.004. Epub 2017
Sep 23

19

American Academy of Ophthalmology, Nearsightedness: What Is Myopia?

20

Med Sci (Paris). 2020 Aug-Sep;36(8-9):763-768. doi: 10.1051/medsci/2020131. Epub 2020

Aug 21

21

JAMA Ophthalmol. 2021 Mar; 139(3): 293–300

22
Am J Ophthalmol. 2021 Mar; 223: 333–337

23

American Optometric Association, Clinical Report: Myopia Management, Page 4

24

The Atlantic September 13, 2022

25

EurekAlert September 26, 2022

26

Cleveland Clinic August 9, 2019