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Near-sightedness and short-sightedness are the same thing in the context of ophthalmology, no? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Near-sightedness https://en.wikiped
by petercooper 10y ago
Near-sightedness and short-sightedness are the same thing in the context of ophthalmology, no? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Near-sightedness https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Near-sightedness
- teddyh 10y agoOriginally they were synonyms, but one of them has come to have a more metaphorical meaning, to the point of using it literally is actually confusing.
- tombrossman 10y agoOP is from Scotland, same as my wife, and I can confirm 'short-sighted' is the correct usage in Britain for what most Americans call 'near sighted'. The term does not have the negative connotation in Europe that it does in America.
- contingencies 10y agoSame in Australia/New Zealand AFAIK.
- camtarn 10y agoCheers for clearing that up :) I was rather confused by the comment.
- mod 10y agoYou've failed to consider the rest of the world and their usage of the term; it's a bit short-sighted, really.
- taneq 10y agoBut not near-sighted. Only one of the terms is overloaded. ;)
- OJFord 10y agoFunny! I'd never heard "near-sighted" before that Wikipedia article. Surely in using 'short' exclusively metaphorically, its metaphoric effect is lost entirely?
- khedoros 10y agoDon't feel too bad. I had to read it twice to get the meaning, myself. The fact that it's used in a literal sense outside of the U.S. isn't something that I would have considered. I suppose that my viewing of foreign media has had a dearth of references to optometry.