There’s been a global spike in nearsightedness that everyone just assumed had something to do with heavy smartphone use. There’s a logic to it, but new research suggests that the real issue may not necessarily be all of our phone scrolling as much as it’s where and how we’re doing it.
Scientists at the SUNY College of Optometry report in Cell Reports that myopia may be driven by a combination of prolonged close-up focus and dim indoor lighting. So while the “darn kids these days and their darn phones!” isn’t entirely incorrect, it’s not looking at the fuller, dimly lit picture.
Myopia, or nearsightedness, occurs when the eyeball elongates slightly, making distant objects harder to focus on. It’s increasing at a pace that has public health experts concerned, with projections suggesting nearly half the global population could be affected by 2050. Not a major crisis but definitely a cause for concern, especially if it can be prevented, though I’m sure the optical industry is champing at the bit to sell some overpriced frames to hundreds of millions of new customers.
According to lead author Urusha Maharjan and senior researcher Jose-Manuel Alonso, the issue may lie in how the pupil behaves under certain conditions.
In bright outdoor light, the pupil constricts to limit excess light while still delivering strong illumination to the retina. That retinal stimulation appears important for healthy visual development. But transfer that indoors, especially in dim lighting, and focusing on close objects like phones, tablets, or books, and the pupil constricts like it always does, but now it’s doing it to sharpen the image rather than responding to brightness. In low light, that double effect of dim conditions plus near focus can significantly reduce the amount of light reaching the retina. The researchers hypothesize that over time, this reduced stimulation could possibly contribute to abnormal eye growth and the development or progression of myopia. The effect might even be stronger in people who are already nearsighted.
There’s still a lot of testing that lies ahead if this theory is to be confirmed, but if it is, it suggests that preventative strategies would be primarily centered around changing the environments in which we stare at our phones, tablets, books, and laptop screens. Maybe something as simple as brighter indoor lighting or spending more time outdoors can do the trick. Whatever gets people to spend less time squinting at close objects in dark rooms.
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