Do Students Who Study Hard Have Worse Eyesight?

by Charlotte

The image of the geeky student who wears glasses and suffers from poor eyesight is something of a cliché – in films, comics and videos.

However, some recent research by the Australian National University into the eyesight of school leavers in East Asia suggests that in fact this cliché is true. Scientists are blaming the academic lifestyles of these students for the fact that up to 90% of them are short sighted – or to use another word, myopic.

What Causes Short Sightedness?

The Australian study drew the conclusion that there was a strong link between the lifestyle of these Asian students and their poor sight, rather than their genetic inheritance. Students were studied in large cities in China, Japan, and South Korea.   The University describes it as a major health issue in East Asia.

The factors provoking this deterioration in eyesight were thought to be; working in poor lighting, staring for long hours at computer or television screens, poring over textbooks without adequate breaks, taking insufficient exercise out of doors.

A Change Is Needed

Catching this condition early is also crucial as the researchers also discovered that up to 20% of the students affected were suffering from ‘high’ myopia. Ultimately this can cause great loss of vision – even a total vision loss.

The worry is that unless there is a change in the way these young people approach their studies (and are encouraged to study), this problem will become worse and future children will also be affected.

What Can Be Done To Prevent This Sight Deterioration?

More than ever, it shows that regular eyesight checks are called for to assess the current vision of a patient, whether corrective treatment is necessary and if so what it should be and whether the deterioration of eyesight has been accelerated by lack of care and what can be done to slow or halt its progress.

In days gone by, children were encouraged to play out of doors as much as possible, there was little television to watch. Books and board games were the norm for entertainment rather than computers, Play Stations and X Boxes. It would seem from the Australian National University research that coupled with an increased workload, modern pastimes can have a drastic effect on a young person’s vision.

Young people need to be educated in how they can take care of their eyesight. They need to be taught about what to avoid, how to eat healthily for good eyesight, the importance of studying in good light and of course the need for regular eye checks.

This post was written by Charlotte

Blogging for Direct Sight - a leading provider of prescription glasses online - Charlotte enjoys keeping up with health news.

{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }

Erwin Puller June 17, 2012 at 10:44 am

You are a very smart individual!

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Edith October 8, 2012 at 7:54 pm

Everything is very open with a really clear description of the issues.
It was really informative. Your website is very helpful. Thanks for sharing!

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Emilio Reihl February 19, 2013 at 12:04 pm

Everyone loves it when folks get together and share opinions. Great blog, stick with it.

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