Short-sightedness – a plague of our times

We live in times when vision defects have been considered as civilisation diseases. According to the data from the Central Statistical Office, 50 % of school-age adolescents and 25% of adults in Poland have a vision defect, short-sightedness being among the most common ones. Such statistics are definitely food for thought. Are we facing a risk of an epidemic of short-sightedness?

What exactly is short-sightedness (myopia)?

A characteristic symptom of this refractive error is blurred distance vision, with close-up vision remaining perfectly clear. It is caused by the fact that due to an excessively large refraction angle or elongated eyeballs rays of light are not focused on the retina but in front of it instead. A short-sighted person can be recognised by characteristic squinting, which enables them to obtain a greater depth of vision for a while (an effect similar to closing an aperture diaphragm in a photographic lens).

Where does short-sightedness come from and why has it reached epidemic proportions?

The development of this refractive error may be caused both by genetic and environmental factors. In times when outdoor games have been transferred into the world of virtual reality and piles of paperwork have been replaced with Word or Excel files, it has become increasingly difficult for us to stay away from our laptop or smartphone. Nowadays, both adults and children are prone to developing short-sightedness. As you might have guessed, it turns out that in our Times a rapid spread of this refractive error has been determined mostly by environmental factors. The most recent study published by specialists from the Brien Holden Vision Institute at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, predicts that by 2050 as much as half of the world population will have developed short-sightedness.

How can we prevent the development of short-sightedness?

Since the first symptoms of short-sightedness may manifest in the earliest childhood, it is advised that children spend an adequate amount of time outdoors every day. This recommendation stems from a research which proves that the major reason for developing short-sightedness is an insufficient amount of daylight which our eyes are exposed to. Moreover, we should have our eyesight, as well as our children’s, tested on a regular basis. What may also prove helpful is to introduce an everyday eye hygiene routine, such as maintaining the text at a suitable reading distance, providing good lighting at the workplace and taking breaks while reading or doing close-up work for a long time.

I might be short-sighted – what shall I do?

If you suspect you might be a short-sighted person, remember that your refractive error can be corrected by wearing the right sort of glasses or contact lenses or by having a laser vision correction. We encourage you to make an appointment for a specialist ophthalmologic examination or a preliminary examination qualifying for a laser vision correction surgery in our ArtLife Ophthalmologic Centre (the latter is suggested when your refractive error has remained stable for at least a year, i.e. you have not had to change glasses or lenses during this time). First, you can also fill in a preliminary qualification form ONLINE, which will take you approximately 15 minutes and the answer provided by one of our doctors will tell you whether the procedure is suitable for you or not.

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