In a message dated 4/5/02 12:27:48 PM,  Marianne Fuller
<[log in to unmask] writes:

<< A.S. wrote:

In one of the insulin articles (?) I read that the IGF (insulin like growth
factor) was it who caused the eye to *grow* too fast, thereby lenghthening
the eyeball, thereby causing shortsightedness.

Dr. Cordain said it's from reading too much when young. Something about
blurred images get projected on the back of the eye and tell it to keep
growing longer. High price to pay for doing something that's good for you
 >>

As a New York State licensed ophthalmic dispenser (optician) I can tell you
that this oft-repeated statement is probably not true. All young children
spend the same amount of time in school every day, doing the same close work,
and it would be a very rare child indeed who spent substantial additional
hours reading. Even among those who do, I cannot say I have seen from
personal experience that they become nearsighted (myopic) as a result.
Additionally, nearly all children nowadays spend hours a day playing video
games and doing computer work, which has not led to an increase in myopia,
that I am aware of.

One thing I HAVE noticed is that there is a slight tendency (do not interpret
this to mean 100%!) for people of high intelligence to be myopic more often
than those of more average intelligence. I have no scientific evidence to
back up this observation, but among  my optician colleagues, they all agree
that they have noticed the same thing. Now, people of higher intelligence may
tend to read more, leading to the conclusion that it is the reading that
caused the myopia.

There is definitely a hereditary component to the shape/length of the eyeball
which does govern near/far sightedness. I have seen families of 3, 4, 5
children all coming in to get prescriptions filled for varying degrees of the
same condition. My 2 nieces, for example, are both near sighted, and both
wear the exact same prescription for all 4 of their eyes!

Maddy Mason
Hudson Valley, NY