Can we prevent
near-sightedness?
Near-sightedness is a defect of refraction
and people who suffer from this have dimi-
nished visual acuity.
There are two types of near-sightedness:
simple and pathological near-sightedness.
The latter can continue to increase during
our lives and is caused by a genetic factor
that we cannot avoid. Nevertheless, simple
near-sightedness usually has a limited evo-
lution due to the development of the eyeball,
that is, when the eyeball stops growing,
near-sightedness tends to disappear.
The natural growth of the eyeball should stop
around the age of twelve. Excessive growth
of the eyeball results in near-sightedness
and, therefore, this should occur before the
reaching the age of twelve. Why is it then,
that there is near-sightedness that continues
to increase beyond this age? Why is that
that more people are suffering from near-
sightedness which seems to be increasing
quite rapidly?
The answer to all of these questions is pro-
bably in the environment, that is, we are ex-
periencing a physiological adaptation to our
new life conditions.
Our visual system is designed to enable us to
see at a distance without making any efforts
and to see things that are near thanks to the
ability of our lens, a dynamic lens inside our
eyes, to focus. We are also endowed with
a central and peripheral vision to focus that
enables us to have an overall awareness of
what surrounds us without having to see it.
And eyestrain?
