wooby's Journal: Modern Opthamalogy: A Sham?

It's possible to correct "myopia," or near-sightedness, with what's known as a "pinhole lens;" by allowing only a small sliver of light enter the eye, the effects of distortion in the lens or cornea are mitigated and once can see clearly if dimly. You can cup your hand into a fist and make a pinhole to look through. Your vision will improve noticeably.

I was googling for "pinhole glasses" when I happened upon an interesting scientific backwater: theories that modern medicine's correction for myopia actually worsens vision over time and is not only an ineffective but a destructive approach to vision correction. As the site says: "The excessive amount of reading and other close work that we do in our modern society is the real cause of acquired myopia."

The generally accepted cause of myopia is that it's genetic, though no study has definitively ruled out environmental influence. The Wikipedia article on myopia mentions a few fringe theories regarding myopia. It is held in some circles that the myopia is caused by "a weakening of the ciliary muscle," as brought on by the need for humans in modern society to constantly read material at close distances such as books and computer screens. The proponents of this theory maintain that a vast conspiracy to hide this fact, perpetuated by the government and the medical institution, keeps the myopic in a state of continual vision degradation.

Are corrective lenses a sham? I like to think that modern medicine is above and beyond such blatant debilitation for the purpose of money. And, with all kinds of crazy studies floating around suggesting various reasons for myopia, I think I'll continue to use my corrective lenses but play it safe and wear my magnetic bracelet just in case.