“For the last decade, [nearsightedness] has been studied a lot with kids because we’re finding that more of them are becoming nearsighted sooner in life and a lot faster,” says Kristin Maus, O.D., a pediatric optometrist with Simon Eye. “The things that kids are doing with their eyes are different than what they were 10 years ago. They’re looking at a lot more things in their close range.”
Nearsightedness, or myopia, occurs when the eyeball lengthens or the cornea is excessively curved, resulting in blurred vision at farther distances. An article in the “Journal of the American Medical Association” reported that 25% of people in the U.S. were myopic in 1971, compared to almost 42% in the early 2000s. The National Eye Institute and U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention more recently acknowledged the increasing rate of nearsightedness.
Genetics and lifestyle choices play a role in eyesight development, so screens aren’t entirely to blame, Maus notes. She advises balancing close-range activities, like reading or coloring, with outdoor play and other activities that shift focus to something about 20 feet away. “If we’re always locked into a focus in a close range for us, then we aren’t flexing our focusing ability.”
Maus also recommends that children visit an eye doctor before age 3 for early guidance and myopia prevention.
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