Myopia (myopia) is rapidly increasing worldwide, with almost half of the world’s population expected to be nearsighted by 2050, according to the World Health Organization.
heavy Using a smartphone and other devices are associated with an 80% increased risk of myopia when combined with excessive computer use, but new research suggests dim indoor lighting may also be a factor.
For years, scientists have been puzzled by the various ways myopia is caused. In a laboratory environment, it can be caused by blurred vision or by using a different lens. Conversely, research suggests that something as simple as spending time outdoors can slow you down.
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myopia occurs According to the American Optometric Association (AOA), when the eyeball grows too long from front to back. This physical stretching causes light to focus in front of the retina rather than directly on it, making distant objects appear blurry.
Researchers at the State University of New York (SUNY) School of Optometry have identified specific potential triggers for this growth. When you look at a cell phone or a book up close, your pupils naturally constrict.
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“In bright light outdoors, the pupil constricts to protect the eye while allowing enough light to reach the retina,” Ursha Maharjan, a doctoral student at New York University’s Department of Optometry, who conducted the study, said in a press release.
“Pupils may also constrict when you are indoors and focus on nearby objects such as your phone, tablet, or book. “It’s not because of the brightness, but because it makes the image clearer,” she continued. “In dim lighting, this combination can be significantly degraded.” retinal illumination. ”
This hypothesis suggests that when the retina is deprived of light during long close-up tasks, it sends signals that cause the eye to grow.
Researchers found that in dimly lit environments, the pupils narrow, allowing much less light to pass through, and retinal activity is not strong enough to signal that the eye stops growing.
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In contrast, outdoors provides much brighter light levels than indoors. This ensures that even when the pupil narrows to focus on nearby objects, the retina still receives and maintains a strong signal. healthy eye development.
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The research team noted several limitations of the study, including a small group of subjects and an inability to directly measure changes in the internal lens because the bright background used to mimic the outdoors made pupils too small for standard equipment.
“This is not the final answer,” José Manuel Alonso, MD, Distinguished Professor at the State University of New York and lead author of the study, said in a release.
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“However, this study provides a testable hypothesis that reconfigures how visual habits, lighting, and eye focus interact.”
The study was published in the journal Cell Reports.
