For 20-20, try 20-20-20

The 'Glasses Apostle' - 1403  (PD)

Those of us whose favorite childhood sport was reading (guilty as charged) might find ourselves wearing thick glasses these days.

It seems that myopia (nearsightedness) is not just a matter of genetics.  Scientists are discovering that it’s also a matter of

lifestyle.

U. S. News & World Report explains that the percentage of myopic Americans in the 12 to 54 age bracket has been rapidly

increasing.  This percentage jumped from approximately 25% in the early 1970s to more than 41% in the 2000s.

In countries “where schooling starts earlier and lasts longer each day,” the incidence of myopia is even greater than within the United States.  In South Korea, for example, a 2010 “large, representative study of 19-year-olds showed that more than 96 percent were myopic.”

Since myopia is described as “a reduced ability to focus on things farther away,” it would be interesting to study whether or not this physical condition also has mental/emotional components. For example, is myopia linked to an inability to “see” life’s bigger picture?

Mark Jacquot of LensCrafters suggests a 20-20-20 rule:  “Every 20 minutes of close-up activity… look at something about 20 feet away for about 20 seconds.”  Jacquot claims that this not only gives your eyes a break, but also your mind.

And perhaps even your ego, too… 

Resources 

http://www.msn.com/en-us/health/other/is-nearsightedness-an-epidemic/ar-BBgcG2F

Copyright December 4, 2014 by Linda Van Slyke   All Rights Reserved