Researchers question causes of myopia

On its "Morning Edition" program, NPR reports on the search for the causes of myopia. Epidemiologist Susan Vitale, of the National Eye Institute, explained that a study she coauthored in December's Archives of Ophthalmology found about a 66 percent increase in myopia over 30 years.


NPR notes that near-work the things you do close up with your eyes, like reading or watching television, has been suspected as contributing to nearsightedness, but a study by researchers at the College of Optometry at the Ohio State University found that near-work had no influence. They did discover, however, that the amount of outdoor activity a child had an influence the development of myopia.

Now, researchers are studying whether outdoor light somehow changes the way the eye grows