For Better Vision, Let the Sunshine In
Reynolds, Gretchen. "For Better Vision, Let the Sunshine In." New York Times. N.p., 19 Jan. 2017. Web. 19 Jan. 2017.
I read the article “For Better Vision, Let the Sunshine In,” by Gretchen Reynolds, I thought that the article was very interesting and I was able to learn a lot. The article talks about how being nearsighted is a lot more common that it used to be. The medical name for nearsightedness is myopia. Myopia results when eyeballs are longer than normal, which changes the angle at which light enters the eye and therefore the ability to focus on distant objects. According to a study done in 2009 by the National Eye Institute, myopia in Americans has “soared by 66 percent since the early 1970s.” Some experts connect the elevated rate of myopia to the hours that young people stare at computers and other screens. But a recent study was done by JAMA Ophthalmology, which is the study and treatment of disorders and diseases in the eyes, suggests that a great factor may be a side effect of looking at screens for hours, it's keeping children inside for most of the day. This new study is looking at if the lack of direct sunlight reshapes the human eye and impairs vision. Researches gave vision exams to 3,100 older European men and women and interviewed them at length about their education, careers and how much they remember being outside during different stages of their lives. Strong correlations were found between current eyesight and the lifetime exposure to sunlight. People who had gotten the most sun between the ages of 14 and 19, were 25% less likely to have developed myopia by middle age. Exposure to sunlight up to age 30 also showed positive results.
This article is very relevant for today, because many children are home for most of the day on some sort of technology device. Many children do not go outside and play as much as they did a few years ago, and the lack of time outside certainly appears to be contributing to the rise in myopia rates. By spending more time outside you can decrease your chances of developing myopia or other eye conditions. Sunlight is also associated with harmful impacts too, such as exposure increases the risk of developing skin cancer. But by wearing sunscreen young people should be able to reduce the risks while potentially strengthening their vision.
This article taught me a lot about eyesight in general. I was attracted to the article because I am nearsighted in one eye, so I wanted to know more about what is happening today and why there is a increase in the number of myopia cases. I did not know that sunlight had such a big part is shaping the eye. Overall the article was well written, the author made a good job summarizing all of the information and making it easy to understand but the order and some of the sentences were a little confusing. I wish that the author had included some ways to help this condition other than going outside, and if it is reversible.
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