Can Nearsightedness Be Cured Naturally?

Nearsightedness is a growing problem across the globe. In fact, researchers currently estimate that about 30 percent of the world’s population suffers from myopia, the more scientific name for this condition. That number is predicted to only increase as time goes on. By 2050, it’s predicted that at least 50 percent will be nearsighted. So, what is there to be done about this issue? Can myopia be cured naturally?

Not surprisingly, this increase coincides with the increase in electronic devices. People use computers and cell phones for more and more of their daily tasks, not to mention for leisure like playing video games or watching TV. As our reliance on technology continues to grow, so does the danger of developing myopia. This is why scientists predict that the incidence of nearsightedness will increase so substantially over the next 24 years.

What Is Nearsightedness?

Before we get too much further in our discussion of myopia, its causes, and treatments, let’s take a moment to define it. If you are part of the nearsighted nation, your eyes focus incorrectly, making distant objects appear blurred. As a result, someone with myopia tends to squint when viewing faraway objects. This gesture is the basis of the word “myopia,” which comes from two Greek words: myein, meaning “shut,” and ops, meaning “eye.”

What Causes Nearsightedness?

In the past, if you asked your doctor or ophthalmologist what caused nearsightedness, almost certainly they would have responded, “Genetics.” While it’s true that nearsightedness runs in families, recent studies – so many that researchers conducted a systematic review of such studies – found that myopia risk increased significantly from one to four hours of screen time and then rose more gradually thereafter.

Tech gurus estimate that people send 23 billion text messages each day. That means we send over eight trillion text messages each year. Aside from text messaging, there are currently two billion WhatsApp users and 1.3 billion Facebook Messenger users. Consider all the computers, tablets, and smartphones sold each year.

There is almost no job that does not require at least some time spent in front of an electronic screen. Even school-aged kids can’t get away from technology. Eighty-eight percent of schools operate at 1:1 technology, meaning that every student has access to a device to use in school. All of this technology use is essentially training our eyes to be really good at seeing up close. The cost of this, of course, can be our distance vision.

This is because all of that close work strains our eyes, causing what is now known as Computer Vision Syndrome. The more time you spend focusing on objects up close, like a phone screen, the worse your overall vision becomes. CVS can occur at any age or demographic that enjoys too much screen time. For teenagers and young professionals who spend the most time on digital devices, that’s a serious concern.

Nearsightedness and Children

While the rise in nearsightedness is alarming for the nation as a whole, it is even more so in the case of children. Most children are visual learners, and so clear vision is essential to their success in the classroom.  

Computers open up a world of interesting facts and make learning more fun for young students. However, they also increase the amount of time that those young eyes focus on close-up work. We need to model better moderation when it comes to technology use for our children. Until recently, many teachers did not realize the dangers that computer screens could pose to the developing vision of students. Only now are schools across the U.S. reckoning with the damage consistent tech use does to kids’ attention spans. There has been little talk in the media concerning how it impacts myopia development.

One major problem is that fewer than 15 percent of preschool children in the U.S. get annual eye exams. And fewer than one out of four receive vision screening, a cost-effective type of testing that can easily detect visual impairments.

One of the best things you can do to help prevent myopia in children is to encourage them to spend time outside. Not only does playing outside require them to use their distance vision more, thereby strengthening those muscles, but it will also reduce screen time. This small lifestyle change could have big impacts on the future of their vision.

How to Treat Myopia: Can Nearsightedness Be Cured?

While there is no cure for myopia, there are many things you can do to improve myopia naturally. Common correction methods of course include prescription lenses. While this is a great band-aid fix for your vision issues, it doesn’t do anything to treat the root cause. Let’s talk about some ways you can improve your vision and enjoy some sort of myopia control.

One of our favorite forms of myopia management is eye exercises that can provide a natural treatment for nearsightedness. The exercises can help stimulate far vision so that you can learn to focus on the objects that are further away. While these exercises work, they are not an instant cure.

It takes some time to teach and strengthen your eyes so that blurriness clears up. One of the easiest ways to improve distance vision is by spending some time outside focusing on objects that are at least 10 to 20 feet away from you. Playing outside is equally as helpful for adults with myopia as it is for kids.

You can also turn to nutrition to help prevent progression of myopia. Ensuring you are getting a wide range of vision-supporting vitamins in your diet can do a lot to help correct and manage nearsightedness naturally. Antioxidants can be especially helpful because they reduce oxidative stress in the eye. While they can’t alter the eye’s shape (if its shape is the cause of your nearsightedness), they can help strengthen the eye against the impacts of digital eye strain.

You can also consider incorporating nutrients like vitamin A, lutein and zeaxanthin to help your eyes be their best. Even though the answer to the question of whether nearsightedness can be cured completely is unfortunately “no,” there is still a lot you can do to protect your vision in both the short and long term.