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Acquired Myopia (Near Sightedness)

Myopia affects roughly one quarter of the developed world's population. From the middle of the last century, there has been an alarming increase in the number of patients reporting myopia. 

This is despite the fact of rapid development in medical care and an increase in access to it during that period. This is the reason why it is being hotly debated today whether the position that myopia is hereditary is, under the circumstances, valid or not.

Some research studies have proved that instances of myopia are accelerated by environmental factors (see below). Some studies go one step further and reveal that the prevalent customary treatment of myopia with prescription glasses actually assist in accelerating the degeneration of vision. They suggest use of pinhole glasses to be a much safer and effective treatment in the long run.

Acquired myopia strikes children more than anybody else. In the course of their academic pursuits, children are involved in long hours of close-range viewing. This is also a time when their bodies are most adaptable and constantly growing. The long hours of study in this period force their eyes to adapt to the strain and mould themselves accordingly.

The problem of Acquired Myopia

When we try to view things at a short distance, the ciliary muscles in the eyes contract to thicken the lenses. This helps the lens to converge the light rays and form an image on the retina. We are thus enabled to see. 

Doing this constantly, without any respite to the eye, weakens the membrane around the eye, causes the ciliary muscles to spasm and also increases the pressure in the vitreous chamber in our eyes. The last effect stretches the membrane further and eventually leads to elongation of the eyeballs. In such a case, images are formed not on the retina, but in front of it.

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The conventional way of treating this problem is to resort to concave glasses. These act like additional lenses and diffract the rays so that our lenses are able to form images on the retina. But problems arise because, in doing so, it also makes the object seem closer to our eyes, causing them to strain. As our eyes strain, more pressure builds up inside the vitreous chamber, eventually leading to elongation of the eyeballs.

Using concave lenses sparks off a vicious cycle as it were, inside our eyes, leading to ever more strain on it. This is the reason why after taking to wearing eyeglasses, we have to constantly upgrade them to higher powers at regular intervals. 

Pinhole glasses, however, do not suffer from this defect. It does not use diffraction to correct your vision. Pinhole glasses allow only those rays to enter your eyes which do not require much diffraction and which by themselves are capable of forming a clear image on the retina. By stopping other rays, it prevents such rays from distorting the clear image obtained from the direct rays. 

Also, since it does not employ diffraction or a lens to achieve this, it does not make the object seem closer and thus do not lead to increased eyestrain and the problem of acquired myopia.

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Some Revealing Researches into Acquired Myopia

In one such research, the effect of constant restricted viewing was studied on monkeys. Monkeys were chosen for the study as they had an Ocular system similar to humans. The vision of these monkeys were restricted to 15 inches by covering their head with hoods. It was discovered, after a while, that most of these monkeys had developed clear indications of high myopia. No changes were observed in members of the control group. This was cited as clear evidence that environmental factors can have a bearing on causing myopic vision. 

(“Visual refractive errors of Wild and laboratory Monkeys”, Francis A. Young, 'Eye, Ear, Nose and Throat Digest', 27 August, 1965)

Another study in the 60's focused on the impairment of vision amongst Eskimos living in northern Alaska. It was observed that among the younger generation, who had new access to modern education, instances of visual impairment were on the rise. 

3 out of every 5 children were found to be myopic in vision. At the same time no changes in the nature of vision was found amongst the older generation of Eskimos. As a result it was deduced that the newfound strain imposed on the children's eyes by long hours of close study was the cause behind the rise in instances of myopic vision amongst younger generation. 

(“The Transmission of Refractive Errors within Eskimo Families”, Francis A. Young et al, American Journal of Optometry and Archives of the American Academy of Optometry 46, no. 9 September, 1969)

A study on natural debilities evolving in the lives of submarine personnel was made by the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, a division of the US Navy. Among other things the study revealed that the restricted visual environment faced by these personnel increased the instances of myopia among them.

No such effects were seen in Navy personnel operating in visually less-restricting working environments.

("The Effect of Time in Submarine Service on Vision", Ira Schwartz and N. Elaine Sandberg, Medical Research Laboratory Report no. 253; Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, Navy Department project NM 003041.57.03)

In a study on the effects of use of lenses in correcting vision, it was found that specimens from a group treated with positive lenses constantly required an increase in the power of their lenses.

Similarly those treated with negative lenses were regularly faced with an increase in power of their negative lenses.
When left and right eyes were treated with positive and negative lenses, the power requirement of the corresponding eyes too grew in a similar manner.

No changes were noticed in visual acuity of the control group.

("Accommodation, Refractive Error and Eye Growth in Chickens", Frank Schaeffel, Adrian Glasser and Howard C. Howland and published in Vision Research., Vol 28, No. 5 pp 639-657, 1988, Pergamon Press )