Why reading makes myopic people?

Simple strategy against myopia: read white on black

According to health experts, more than 40% of Germans have myopia and need visual aids. It is expected that the number of people with myopia in the coming years will increase mbadively. But something can be done: the researchers discovered that a very simple strategy could help prevent the development of myopia.

Increased myopia

Two years ago, scientists from Singapore and Australia reported myopia As a result, half of the world's population will be short-sighted until around 2050. In Germany too, the number of myopes is very high: according to a study from the University of Mainz, more than half of high school graduates and university graduates suffer from myopia. But something could be done about it: Scientists in Tübingen have now found that a very simple strategy can help prevent myopia.

Education is crucial

Ophthalmologists predict a significant increase in myopia on smartphones. Because the definitive closure of the works is jointly responsible for myopia.

In addition, previous studies have shown that "a high level of education is often badociated with the development of myopia," according to Professor Dr. med. Norbert Pfeiffer, director of the Department of Ophthalmology and Polyclinic of the Medical Center of Mainz University explained in an earlier paper

The expert had also studied with colleagues whether myopia could be the result of intelligence

. In this context, the level of education of a person and not his intelligence is first critical for the development of myopia.

Many smart people have vision tools

Why a lot of smart people wear glbades usually read a lot. But what makes reading really shortsighted?

Scientists Andrea C. Aleman, Wang Min and Frank Schaeffel of the Ophthalmology Research Institute of Tübingen University Hospital have now acquired new ideas

They are conducting a surprisingly simple strategy against the development of myopia. from. In the journal "Scientific Reports Nature" they report their research results.

Myopia is the price of a good education

As explained in a statement from the University Hospital Tübingen, the eye grows too long in myopia, the image is in front of the retina The clairvoyance is therefore the price of a good education: per year, training is on average about a quarter diopter. Myopia is increasing worldwide as good education becomes more and more important, experts write.

It is reported that myopia affects children who spend a lot of time outdoors outdoors before going to school later in life. 19659008] However, when children read a lot during their training, the risk of myopia increases.

Visual information is mbadively reduced

According to experts, it is still not clear what makes myopic children reading.

It has long been thought that too little accommodation in reading placed the sharp image behind the retina, causing an increase in the retina for the eye faster. However, these data have never been fully convincing.

Andrea C. Aleman, Wang Min, and Frank Schaeffel of the Ophthalmology Research Institute of Tübingen University Hospital have now found an unexpected reason why reading might be shortsighted. by reading each pixel, the retina measures mainly the differences between the adjacent "pixels", the photoreceptors, explains the message

This is obtained by comparing the brightness of the cells at the center and periphery of their area photosensitive. transmit the difference to the brain.

Visual information is thus mbadively reduced, which is necessary because the retina has about 125 million "pixels", but the optic nerve has only about a million of " cables ". The optic nerve is therefore the bottleneck of the transmission of information

ON and OFF cells

Retina cells evaluate whether the center is brighter and the environment more dark in its photosensitive area (receptive field) cells). Others evaluate whether the center is darker and the environment brighter (OFF cells).

During our normal visual experience, both types are also irritated. But what about reading text?

Schaeffel developed software that quantifies the stimulus intensity of ON and OFF cells in our visual world.

It has been shown that dark text on a light background is mainly off The cells stimulate, while the light text on a dark background is mainly irritating to ON cells.

Previous experiments with chickens and mice have already shown that ON cell stimulation tends to inhibit eye growth, but stimulates OFF cells.

A clear text on a dark background inhibits myopia

Using optical coherence tomography (OCT), the thickness of tissue layers of the living eye can be measured accurately (micrometric scale

already explored that the change in the thickness of the choroid, which is the layer behind the retina, predicts how the eye will wax in the near future

When the choroid 's thins, it indicates the development of myopia, it becomes thicker, eye growth delays and myopia does not develop.

The three researchers allowed subjects to read dark text on a light background. and bright text on a dark background.

Already after 30 minutes, they could measure that the choroid became thinner by reading the text in black, and thicker by reading the text with the opposite contrast.

The text on a light background favors the development of myopia and the light text on a dark background inhibits myopia.

Measurement to be implemented easily

Reverse text contrast would be an easy way to stop the development of myopia. Past Reading on Computer Screens and Tablets

This strategy against the development of myopia still needs to be resolved. Scientists in Tübingen have already planned a study with schoolchildren.

However, their current research already shows in the experience that the choroidal thickness can change in both directions, only by reading with a different text contrast. (Ad)