Glasses developed to stop myopia

A recent PLOS One study of 10,000 schoolchildren in India shows that children who spend  seven hours a week on screens triple their risk of myopia or nearsightedness -- not being able to see far away. Other studies find the incidence of myopia among 19 year-olds has nearly doubled in the United States over the last 25 years. In some parts of Asia, it’s nearly 90 percent.

Jay and Maureen Neitz, UW professors of ophthalmology, have created glasses that can stop myopia. The Neitzes, who made headlines when they cured colorblindness in monkeys, completed three proof-of-concept studies that compared their therapeutic glasses with standard glasses. They said the data shows not only are the glasses effective at stopping myopia but all the kids in their studies are still wearing them two years later. 

Kayla Radovich and Jay Neitz discuss the topic in this downloadable video segment.