# Myopia and Eyestrain

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/myopia-and-eyestrain/643212>\
**Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\
**Created:** [December 6, 2012, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/myopia-and-eyestrain/643212 "2012-12-06T18:39:50Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![jbaker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/59ef9b/32.png) [@jbaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jbaker)\
**Post date:** [December 6, 2012, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/myopia-and-eyestrain/643212/1 "2012-12-06T18:39:50Z")

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Twenty years on, what’s the straight dope on myopia and eyestrain? See [Will sitting too close to the TV, reading with bad light, etc., ruin your eyes? - The Straight Dope](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/1107/will-sitting-too-close-to-the-tv-reading-with-bad-light-etc-ruin-your-eyes).

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**Author:** ![Michael63129](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3da27b/32.png) [@Michael63129](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael63129)\
**Post date:** [December 6, 2012, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/myopia-and-eyestrain/643212/2 "2012-12-06T19:11:48Z")

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According to [this article](http://www.cnn.com/2011/HEALTH/06/01/myopia.causes/index.html), insufficient sunlight is the cause of the high prevalence of myopia today:

> [@](#):
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> (CNN) – While the belief that prolonged close-up activities like reading and playing computer games cause short sightedness (myopia) is popularly held, new research indicates that a deficiency of sunlight is the true culprit.

Of course, you still hear of the claims that close work causes myopia even from sites like [New Scientist](http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn6117-lifestyle-causes-myopia-not-genes.html) (which also says that some researchers blame refined starches, which if true, is just another reason to avoid processed junk food, and the [consumption](http://www.graphoftheweek.org/2012/06/body-weight-in-united-states-part-3.html) of starchy grains has increased markedly in recent decades).

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**Author:** ![eastcheap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8491ac/32.png) [@eastcheap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eastcheap)\
**Post date:** [December 7, 2012, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/myopia-and-eyestrain/643212/3 "2012-12-07T21:15:11Z")

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I’ve become convinced that poorly fitted glasses figure in there somewhere as well. Until I learned to force myself to relax in the optometrist’s chair and let the optics do the work, my glasses and contacts were _always_ too strong by at least a diopter. I had to work to focus on anything, and those numbers just got more and more negative.

Now that I’m middle-aged, it’s somewhat less of an issue… ☹

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**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\
**Post date:** [June 12, 2022, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/myopia-and-eyestrain/643212/4 "2022-06-12T22:04:53Z")

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This article also suggest myopia is more common in the educated and is caused by less sunlight exposure. I don’t think that accounts for all of it.

> **[Short-sightedness was rare. In Asia, it is becoming ubiquitous](https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2022/06/09/short-sightedness-was-rare-in-asia-it-is-becoming-ubiquitous)**
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> That is storing up problems for the future