According to a study published in Ophthalmology, nearsightedness will soon become almost-endemic.
By 2050, half of humanity will have poor vision, as opposed to the “only” 2 billion people that suffered from vision impairments in 2010. Earth is going to become a planet of the half-blind.
We have read something about a “cancer epidemic”, so there’s that, also.
So where does all this divination come from? Over 2 million participants were examined to create this particularly dire prognosis, and if the trend doesn’t lose momentum, 4.8 billion people will suffer from myopia by then, which is 49.8% of the population.
At the same time, 938 million others will have poor vision, thanks to glaucoma, cataracts, macular degeneration, and retinal detachment.
Interestingly, vision is poorer in countries with a higher standard of living, and the reasons are clear: the more civilized the society, the more “autistic” are its citizens. They are less likely to be close with nature because their eyes are glued to a monitor all day (like mine are now). It is rare that they see daylight, encounter the real beauty of the universe, or breathe fresh air. In short, they rarely live.
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Nothing helpful will come of Pokemon. Maybe during this lifetime we’ll be able to break away from the liquid crystal, visit the beach, take a sip of the sun’s life-giving light, and blossom again. It’s not too late.
Text: Sebastian VaroPhoto: Julia Benjamin
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