Almost every day that I go through my e-mail, there’s a story like this one.
Somebody takes all the content on this site, digs through the science, does the free e-mail course, and gets to work on reducing their own lens prescription dependence. For most people who are determined and reasonably intelligent, it does turn out something like this:
Do take this particular vision improvement story with a few grains of salt, because:
Centimer, while an accurate measurement, is easy to look at optimistically. Your interpretation of where blur starts very much affects your resulting diopter calculation, and it’s quite common for people to be lenient about their real blur horizon.
Also we’re dealing with good light here, a relaxed environment, and in all reality we’re probably looking at best at 20/30 or 20/40, with this measurement.
I’d call it a -3.75, just to be on the safe side.
That’s still a staggering three diopters, or basically cutting the prescription in half, in less than half a year. Or another way to look at it, from high myopia to average myopia in a matter of a single summer. Future retinal detachment risk, cut significantly. Odds of ever experiencing lattice degeneration, getting smaller by the day.
There may never have been as big of a lie about an “illness” as massive as myopia, in human history. Hundreds of billions of dollars are being made, while propagating the enduring incurable-myopia myth. Hands are being wrung in government health departments, and thousands of articles are being written in mainstream media about the mysterious condition that is myopia. Get outdoors more, they say. Maybe it’s sunlight, they ponder. The least meaningful studies they quote, fashion frame ad money they accept, and time and myopia increase marches on.
Hey, you say. Jake, seriously. It can’t possibly be that the licensed professionals are altogether that ignorant.
I’m telling you, it’s true though. You’re not dealing with Einsteins, when you walk into the ophthalmologist’s office. Anyone willing to sit through school, take the exams, can open the office, and have the job. Just take a look at this recent Quora answer below, if you doubt that there’s some seriously limited IQ characters touting around their doctor titles.
This, an ophthalmology doctor’s response to someone asking whether retinal detachment is common:
35 years in ophthalmology. I feel a little bad for this guy’s patients.
He seriously argues that because most people aren’t blind, that retinal detachment isn’t common. Genius anecdotal, scientifically unfounded logic, this. It’s either that indeed retinal detachment isn’t common, doctor, or there is a massive and growing industry catering to retinal detachment surgery. Surgery prevents blindness, in many cases. Somebody hasn’t thought quite that far ahead, before sharing their licensed, professional perspective.
Meanwhile actual epidemiology studies suggest a retinal detachment incidence rate of anywhere from 5 to 22 per 100.000, with relatively large geographical variance. In China the estimates of retinal detachment cases range from 9.000 to 10.000 cases per year (source).
See? Numbers and quoted sources, vs. anecdotal nonsense and painfully shortsighted logic.
This, just to illustrate why you don’t have many licensed eyesight health professionals and doctors with a better understanding of vision health. There are a frankly frightening number of doctors who not only lack the ability to think logically, but they will also adventurously proclaim nonsense to their patients and the public. Ignorant arrogance and know-it-all attitudes, rather than to take about 45 seconds to go to scholar.google.com and look at actual epidemiology or any sort of clinical study data.
But let’s just digress, here. You’re in charge of your own eyesight health.
You don’t have to rely on professional, illogical anecdotes about myopia causes. Sure, go for annual checkups, there are lots of conditions you want to be on the lookout for. But when it comes to standard lens-induced progressive myopia, use common sense, use Google scholar, use @endmyopia. Take meaningful action, and don’t look around for licensed, professional advice on myopia, too much. Otherwise you’ll end up thinking … “omg, I’m literally surrounded by idiots”.
Cheers,
-Jake
