Trouble Reading this Article? You're Not Alone

More Americans are nearsighted than ever, according to a new report by the National Eye Institute (NEI), part of the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. Also called myopia, nearsightedness occurs when the eyes focus incorrectly to make distant objects look blurred which can be corrected with eyeglasses, contact lenses or surgery.

Researchers aren't sure why more Americans sights are being affected or how it can be prevented. The NEI used data to compare American adults with myopia in 1971-1972 and 1999-2004. They used the same methods to determine myopia during both time periods. "We wanted to make it as similar as possible to get a feel for whether the prevalence was actually increasing or not," Dr. Vitale of the NEI explained.

They found that 25% of subjects in 1971-1972 had myopia. This figure jumped to 42% in the 1999-2004 period, roughly 66% higher that the 1971-1972 period. Myopia rates amongst black people in the 1999-2004 study were more than double the rates in the earlier period. The rates were 63% higher among white participants using the same comparisons.

The exact cause of myopia is not known though some factors such as being born prematurely or genetics can play a role in your eye health. Habits that have changed in the past thirty years include computer use and small electronic devices may be a contributor to poor eyesight.

A study out of Australia found evidence that children who spent more time outdoors were least likely to suffer from myopia. "Outdoors you have different lighting conditions and you are looking at distant objects instead of near objects," Vitale noted, which may have an effect on the risk of myopia.

While myopia can be treated quite easily with glasses and contacts, the costs to the overall population is quite high as Americans spend over $3 billion spent annually on improving our vision. Use preventative measures to decrease the symptoms of myopia – spend less time in front of the TV or computer, use less text messaging and web browsing on your telephone, don't watch movies on your iPod, and spend more time out in nature.