The Number One Need for LASIK: Myopia

Filed in archive Why LASIK? on February 16, 2010

EYE TEST
Originally uploaded by Nevada Tumbleweed

It's impossible to consider LASIK surgery without first examining the number one eye condition people seek to correct with LASIK: myopia, or near-sightedness. Outside the U.S. it's referred to as "short-sightedness", and it would indeed be short sighted not to consider the recent jump in incidence of myopia in the U.S. and globally, in such places as Australia, Sweden, and Asia. In fact, one study found that 80% of 18 year old males in Singapore were now myopic, up from only 25% about 30 years ago.

The majority of LASIK procedures in the U.S. are to correct myopia. According to the December 2009 issue of Archives of Opthalmology, myopia is on the rise in the U.S., up from 25% in 1971-72 to a whopping 41.6% in patients surveyed from 1999 to 2004-an increase of 66%.

It seems a common belief that an increase in "near work" like texting, cell phone usage, and computer usage is responsible for this jump in myopia, with scientists maintaining this and other near work like reading contributes to the development of a longer eyeball than what is considered normal. This reasoning is underscored by the fact that incidence of myopia is negligible in many tribal societies where emphasis is placed on the ability to hunt and a more physical lifestyle is the norm, and disproportionate in developed or literate countries, especially in China, where study is emphasized.

Other ideas abound. Some scientists believe the culprit is a poor diet with an overabundance of carbohydrates. As the world in general becomes more developed, more communities have departed from their traditional diets in favor of western-style convenience foods, often high in carbs. That, combined with an increased level of literacy where children spend more time indoors at study than outdoors at play may be a contributing factor to global myopia increase.

Other researchers have put forth that more people are genetically susceptible, though some say that the increase in myopia is too abrupt to be a result of genetic mutation.

No matter what facts scientists uncover as responsible for the epidemic in the coming years, myopia remains the number one reason for LASIK and other related refractive eye surgery.