Why is Myopia Happening? The Epidemic of Nearsightedness

I'm Dr. Moshe Roth. I practice at Family Eye Care in Old Bridge, New Jersey. In the last video, we addressed the fact that children are becoming more nearsighted. The question is, why is this happening? Is it the screen that's doing this to my child?

Again, the reason is how somebody uses their system, changes their system.

Think about what happens to a bodybuilder that spends too much time developing their upper body and neglecting their lower body. They would probably be built in the upper body but their upper body would not be proportional to their lower body.

How you use your system, changes your system.

So the same applies to the visual system. Researchers think that looking at distance objects, like looking at a flying ball through the air at the far end of a sports field and being in the sunshine plays a role in myopia prevention.

Unfortunately, this statement demonstrates that there are those doctors who don't really understand the visual system. It's not the outside that's improving the system and preventing the myopia from progressing.

Rather it's the fact that the child is NOT inside working on the computer and over focusing the accommodative system or the focusing system, and overconverging the fusional system, how we point our eyes in.

Some have advocated learning that amount of time a child uses a digital screen, realistically, that will not prevent the progression of myopia, because that's the way we do things now. Both children and adults.

Think about the amount of time that you spent on your computer or your cell phone is probably significantly more than you did just five or 10 years ago.

To learn more about myopia or to slow its progression, contact us. I'm Dr. Moshe Roth. We can help you and your child and the next video we're going to address. What are the signs and symptoms of myopia.