In her opinion column in the Cincinnati (OH) Enquirer (3/14), Krista Ramsey points out that “in the US alone, the percentage of people ages 12 to 54 who are nearsighted – meaning unable to see things clearly at a distance – rose from 25 percent in the early 1970s to 42 percent now.” Karla Zadnick, associate dean of Ohio State University’s College of Optometry, and other researchers believe one common factor behind increased cases of myopia may be that kids and teens spend far more time indoors on computers and smartphones and not enough time outdoors.
For its part, “the American Optometric Association says young users of hand-held devices should follow a 20-20-20 rule – every 20 minutes, take a 20 second break and view something at least 20 feet away – and should also increase the font size on their device rather than bringing it closer to their eyes.”