December 16, 2009 -- The incidence
of myopia (nearsighted) vision in Americans has increased from
25% in 1971-1972 to 41.6% in patients surveyed from 1999 through
2004. The 66% increase was reported in a study published in the
December issue of Archives of Ophthalmology.
Myopia can be treated with glasses, contact lenses, or vision
correction surgery like Lasik, but the cost to Americans is
billions of dollars every year.
The cause of the increase of myopia is not included in the US
National Eye Institute study, however a dramatic increase in
near vision work including cell phones, texting, and computers
during the same period may be a source of the prevalence of
nearsighted vision.
