4 ms·

To me, I believe, computer was the main reason. Before using computer my eyesight were ok. After with the advent of computer in my life, I became short-sighted

To me, I believe, computer was the main reason. Before using computer my eyesight were ok. After with the advent of computer in my life, I became short-sighted (unable to see object that are far)

techdragon 5y ago
As someone with a computer heavy job and hobbies, I’m pretty impressed I’ve held onto better than 20/20 sight into my 30s. I’ve started to suspect that it might have something to do with having ADHD and the corresponding moments of distraction leading to above average amounts of eye movement and related refocusing leaving the eye “better exercised” than more attentive peers. While it’s just a data a point of one it’s always struck me as a fascinating hypothesis. Unfortunately I’m in computers not medical research or I’d have considered proposing a study, but I look forward to the day someone else diligently studies it and I get an answer to my personal pet theory.
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
ulfw 5y ago
Good for you. I was diagnosed as being short-sighted when I was 6. Had my first computer at 9.
- cdf 5y ago
  Yeah, I was diagnosed at 6, had my first sustained computer interaction at 9, had my first computer at 21, first cellphone at 25. (I'm old, but I also live in the myopia capital of the world)
- techdragon 5y ago
  That raises the important point that the article didn't really put any effort into distinguishing. Theres clearly "developmental" and "inherent", eye issues. My partner has a thorny case of astigmatism, you don't just develop a structural defect in the eye like that from environmental inputs, so its an established situation that some percentage of human eyeballs turn out different, it would be naive to think at least some percentage of long and short sightedness didn't also occur in this way. But once again I'm a computer person not a medical researcher so I could be wrong and it might be well established fact that astigmatism is the only inherent defect you're born with.
rg111 5y ago
Not really. I had glasses long before smartphones and before I had a computer. See, this is the problem with validating with anecdotes. For one for, five can be immediately found against.
akemichan 5y ago
There's a common misconception that using computers is the cause of hyper/myopia. The truth is that during the early years of development(up until 15-21 years old), the eye is not yet fully developed and it has great adaptability. This means that, if you are a kid and you read too much(on paper or computers or smartphones), the eye will develop to focus mainly on short distances, this developing myopia. This is the reason why kids textbooks have big letters, so that kids don't have to focus so much to read the text, and why kids using computers/reading too much(specially smartphone usage) is detrimental to their visual health. If you did this on your early ages, that certainly explains your issue, but it's not computers per se that cause it. The other big factor is the shape of the ocular globe. Some globes are "longer" than others, which causes the image focused by the cornea and retina to land in front or behind of the retina, causing the hyper/myopia. What you do actually experience a lot when using the computer too much is that when you focus on a task for a long time, your blink rate decreases, the tear film breaks more often, and you get sore eyes/eye fatigue. This is solved by regular breaks, or the 20/20/20 rule[0]. [0] https://www.aoa.org/AOA/Images/Patients/Eye%20Conditions/20-20-20-rule.pdf https://www.aoa.org/AOA/Images/Patients/Eye%20Conditions/20-...
- techdragon 5y ago
  Well that definitely tracks my theory. As outlined https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30412185 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30412185 I definitely didn't develop the short distance focus habits as a child. Do you know if the childhood developmental component has any relation to above average vision?
  - akemichan 5y ago
    > Do you know if the childhood developmental component has any relation to above average vision? Unfortunately I don't know, I'd like to know more too :)
- Terry_Roll 5y ago
  I found having the brightness of the monitors turned helps alot, my monitor lux level is like 30 from 5cm away from the monitor. Plus as a kid I had glasses because the TV made my eyes water, the new LED light bulbs do the same thing as do some TV's. Now a variety of chemicals are involved in eyesight, histidine has been shown to reduce or prevent cataracts building up in Salmon, vit K alters an enzyme which also reduces the calcium buildup in the eye, so I wonder if eyesight is purely down to diet and exercise?

To me, I believe, computer was the main reason. Before using computer my eyesight were ok. After with the advent of computer in my life, I became short-sighted (unable to see object that are far)

techdragon 5y ago

As someone with a computer heavy job and hobbies, I’m pretty impressed I’ve held onto better than 20/20 sight into my 30s. I’ve started to suspect that it might have something to do with having ADHD and the corresponding moments of distraction leading to above average amounts of eye movement and related refocusing leaving the eye “better exercised” than more attentive peers. While it’s just a data a point of one it’s always struck me as a fascinating hypothesis. Unfortunately I’m in computers not medical research or I’d have considered proposing a study, but I look forward to the day someone else diligently studies it and I get an answer to my personal pet theory.

deleted 5y ago
[deleted]

ulfw 5y ago

Good for you. I was diagnosed as being short-sighted when I was 6. Had my first computer at 9.

cdf 5y ago
Yeah, I was diagnosed at 6, had my first sustained computer interaction at 9, had my first computer at 21, first cellphone at 25. (I'm old, but I also live in the myopia capital of the world)
techdragon 5y ago
That raises the important point that the article didn't really put any effort into distinguishing. Theres clearly "developmental" and "inherent", eye issues. My partner has a thorny case of astigmatism, you don't just develop a structural defect in the eye like that from environmental inputs, so its an established situation that some percentage of human eyeballs turn out different, it would be naive to think at least some percentage of long and short sightedness didn't also occur in this way. But once again I'm a computer person not a medical researcher so I could be wrong and it might be well established fact that astigmatism is the only inherent defect you're born with.

rg111 5y ago

Not really. I had glasses long before smartphones and before I had a computer. See, this is the problem with validating with anecdotes. For one for, five can be immediately found against.

akemichan 5y ago

There's a common misconception that using computers is the cause of hyper/myopia. The truth is that during the early years of development(up until 15-21 years old), the eye is not yet fully developed and it has great adaptability. This means that, if you are a kid and you read too much(on paper or computers or smartphones), the eye will develop to focus mainly on short distances, this developing myopia. This is the reason why kids textbooks have big letters, so that kids don't have to focus so much to read the text, and why kids using computers/reading too much(specially smartphone usage) is detrimental to their visual health. If you did this on your early ages, that certainly explains your issue, but it's not computers per se that cause it. The other big factor is the shape of the ocular globe. Some globes are "longer" than others, which causes the image focused by the cornea and retina to land in front or behind of the retina, causing the hyper/myopia. What you do actually experience a lot when using the computer too much is that when you focus on a task for a long time, your blink rate decreases, the tear film breaks more often, and you get sore eyes/eye fatigue. This is solved by regular breaks, or the 20/20/20 rule[0]. [0] https://www.aoa.org/AOA/Images/Patients/Eye%20Conditions/20-20-20-rule.pdf https://www.aoa.org/AOA/Images/Patients/Eye%20Conditions/20-...

techdragon 5y ago
Well that definitely tracks my theory. As outlined https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30412185 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30412185 I definitely didn't develop the short distance focus habits as a child. Do you know if the childhood developmental component has any relation to above average vision?
- akemichan 5y ago
  > Do you know if the childhood developmental component has any relation to above average vision? Unfortunately I don't know, I'd like to know more too :)
Terry_Roll 5y ago
I found having the brightness of the monitors turned helps alot, my monitor lux level is like 30 from 5cm away from the monitor. Plus as a kid I had glasses because the TV made my eyes water, the new LED light bulbs do the same thing as do some TV's. Now a variety of chemicals are involved in eyesight, histidine has been shown to reduce or prevent cataracts building up in Salmon, vit K alters an enzyme which also reduces the calcium buildup in the eye, so I wonder if eyesight is purely down to diet and exercise?