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Pretty sure myopia rates increased quite a bit in the 20th and 21st centuries. Scientists now think myopia is heavily related to sunlight exposure in youth: don

by graeme 7y ago

Pretty sure myopia rates increased quite a bit in the 20th and 21st centuries. Scientists now think myopia is heavily related to sunlight exposure in youth: don't get enough bright hours, get myopia. 3 is the recommended minimum for outdoors time.

alexandercrohde 7y ago
I've spent a few hours looking into myopia. You're correct that it's been increasing and is still increasing, it's increased so quickly genetics can't explain it, and the sunlight hypothesis is new to me. Some areas in Asia have >80% myopia rates. (As an ally myself, I also think it's worth pointing out that Gen-Z having a 7% LGBTQ rate theoretically could also have an environmental cause. There is evidence of a biological basis for transexualism.) [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Near-sightedness#Asia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Near-sightedness#Asia
- Qwertystop 7y ago
  Personally I think the increase in LGBTQ people would most likely be caused by increasing public acceptance and/or awareness - if you're going to be ostracized by everyone you know it's a lot harder to come out, and if you think feeling however you do is bizarre/unprecedented/obscene you similarly won't tell people. Plenty of anecdotes out there of people who didn't think they were gay/bi/trans/etc because they didn't think of it as a thing-you-could-be; you see things like "oh, I thought everyone thought girls were hot" (or equivalent). As acceptance and awareness grow, the bar gets lower -- fifty years ago it'd take a lot of dysphoria to justify trying to transition; now it's still not simple but it's a lot easier, and so more people who are comparatively less dysphoric are willing to take that particular plunge, and more of them know it's a doable thing.
devereaux 7y ago
One of my eyes has myopia. The other one is fine. Did I play out too much as a pirate with an eyepatch? Joke aside, the disease has many causes, and there is some genetic predisposition. It is too easy to blame it on the modern environment.
- graeme 7y ago
  It clearly existed before the 20th century. I said it increased markedly, and researchers think this is linked to sun exposure.

by graeme 7y ago

alexandercrohde 7y ago

I've spent a few hours looking into myopia. You're correct that it's been increasing and is still increasing, it's increased so quickly genetics can't explain it, and the sunlight hypothesis is new to me. Some areas in Asia have >80% myopia rates. (As an ally myself, I also think it's worth pointing out that Gen-Z having a 7% LGBTQ rate theoretically could also have an environmental cause. There is evidence of a biological basis for transexualism.) [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Near-sightedness#Asia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Near-sightedness#Asia

Qwertystop 7y ago
Personally I think the increase in LGBTQ people would most likely be caused by increasing public acceptance and/or awareness - if you're going to be ostracized by everyone you know it's a lot harder to come out, and if you think feeling however you do is bizarre/unprecedented/obscene you similarly won't tell people. Plenty of anecdotes out there of people who didn't think they were gay/bi/trans/etc because they didn't think of it as a thing-you-could-be; you see things like "oh, I thought everyone thought girls were hot" (or equivalent). As acceptance and awareness grow, the bar gets lower -- fifty years ago it'd take a lot of dysphoria to justify trying to transition; now it's still not simple but it's a lot easier, and so more people who are comparatively less dysphoric are willing to take that particular plunge, and more of them know it's a doable thing.

devereaux 7y ago

One of my eyes has myopia. The other one is fine. Did I play out too much as a pirate with an eyepatch? Joke aside, the disease has many causes, and there is some genetic predisposition. It is too easy to blame it on the modern environment.

graeme 7y ago
It clearly existed before the 20th century. I said it increased markedly, and researchers think this is linked to sun exposure.