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    Is your lifestyle affecting your eyesight?

    Updated:2 May 2016 1:14 PM | Posted by
    bh's Rosemary Taber's picture
    bh's Rosemary Taber
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    Ever waved at someone on the street, only to realise they’re a complete stranger when they get nearer? Awkward! But you’re not alone. Studies have shown soaring numbers of young people are suffering from short-sightedness, but what's to blame?

    Well, as a ‘four eyes’ myself, I have no doubt my lifestyle has affected my eyesight. Between watching TV, playing on my phone and using computers all day at school, uni, and now at work, it’s no wonder why I’m short-sighted, which means I struggle to see things in the distance.

    The condition, known as myopia, is on the rise, and is now twice as common in 25 to 29 year olds than 55 to 59 year olds. It is also twice as prevalent in people who went to university compared to those who left school before the age of 16.

    Researchers from King’s College London have found the increase is related to combination of factors, including spending a longer period of time studying and less time outdoors in natural light, and using computers regularly. It could also be linked to genetics or education.

    While researchers are not entirely sure of the impact of computers, tablets and phones on eyesight development, I might rethink my nightly scroll through social media before bed…

    Are you short-sighted? Do you think your lifestyle has affected your eyesight?

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    62 Member Comments

    pinkheart 30 May 2019 3:36 PM

    I'm short-sighted and have been wearing glasses most of my life!

    Frenchy1 22 Jul 2019 11:55 AM

    Short sighted, astigmatism and gulp early signs of cataracts, bane of my life worry about eyesight worsening. But I won't give up or reduce any sort of reading.

    BeautifulJusty 4 Jun 2017 11:49 AM

    Used to be short sighted, yet investing in a behavioural optometrist and vision training reversed all of that.

    ThisIsMe 27 Jun 2019 1:58 PM

    Hey BeautifulJusty have you had any luck with the behavioural optometrist and do any exercises actually work? Has your short sightness improved or do you still need your glasses?

    Sootyhere 27 May 2019 10:31 AM

    Wow that's amazing BeautifulJusty. Good for you.

    ThisIsMe 21 Apr 2017 1:13 PM

    I'm short sighted too!

    Stephanie2494 9 Dec 2016 4:17 PM

    My eyesight is damaged from too many long nights of studying. At the conclusion of year 12 (that was five years ago now) I noticed that my eyes were damaged. I went on got my eyes tested and I ended up been short sighted. Since then glasses have helped me so much during university.

    skincare junkie 15 Apr 2016 8:31 AM

    My short sighteness really exacerbated when I went back to Uni and the high volume of textbook reading. Nothing to do with computer screens, as I wasn't using computer more or less at that time.

    Seezora 14 Apr 2016 2:23 PM

    I'm short sighted, but wasn't until I fell pregnant with my son 15 yrs ago. It had my Optometrist stumped at the time, but my new Optometrist has told me they now they know that pregnancy and being on the pill can change some women's eyesight. So now I have to wear glasses permanently.

    Brown Beauty 13 Apr 2016 11:26 AM

    very informative, never thought that our life style can affect our eyesight

    itslinda 5 Apr 2016 4:06 PM

    Great article

    annieleex 2 Apr 2016 9:41 PM

    Great article

    lynx 6 Nov 2015 2:20 PM

    I think not wearing sunglasses outdoors is a really big one.

    Petal 15 Sep 2015 2:03 PM

    I was shocked when I was diagnosed with astigmatism a couple of years ago, because up until then, I had perfect eyesight. My main difficulty now is reading the fine print on labels.

    Chicklet 29 Jul 2015 8:33 PM

    I'm a little short sighted but don't need to wear glasses just yet.

    TheDevineOne 23 May 2015 1:03 PM

    I'm short-sighted and my lifestyle has definitely affected my eyesight!

    Shop A Everyday 23 May 2015 5:50 AM

    I should probably get my eyes tested

    OnFire 21 May 2015 11:00 PM

    I actually have a slight prescription for close-up items (and have superwoman vision for distances) and I highly blame that on iPhone use! It could potentially be that I have also now finished university and almost always am staring at a computer for work however I believe smartphones have a LOT to blame on this issue.

    Bkz1 16 May 2015 4:59 AM

    Working in front of a computer all day resulted in me needing glasses for screen use when I was about 19.

    Makeup Maven 15 May 2015 10:09 AM

    No myopia here, actually, I have the opposite problem, I just got reading glasses last year (at age 50) because I have problems with seeing small print up close. I have no problem with distance vision though, but I do spend a lot of time outdoors with my dogs and in my garden.

    tarameoww 15 May 2015 6:55 AM

    I have slight astigmatism too, I neber thought it was my lifestyle but it could be. It would be interesting to know the exact cause.

    aleksandra 14 May 2015 11:31 PM

    While I have not had a problem with my eyesight yet, I do worry that later on in life I may have an issue because my job requires me to stare at a computer screen for 8+ hours every day!

    Jlgaddes 14 May 2015 1:30 PM

    suffer from long-sighted myself......interesting article

    Joole 14 May 2015 10:11 AM

    I'm a 3rd year optometry student and this is a nice summary for the general public. There's nothing in this article that's specifically wrong but there's a profound lack of evidence supporting the statistics mentioned.

    Kassalee 14 May 2015 7:05 AM

    My long distance vision has always been good - husband and daughter both have short sightedness - he had laser correction a few years back after wearing contact lenses since his late teens - best thing he ever did. Daughter has to rely on glasses for long distance and struggles to recognize people in the distance! I need reading glasses so we make a perfect pair when shopping!

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