Department of Energy Argonne National Laboratory Office of Science NEWTON's Homepage NEWTON's Homepage
NEWTON, Ask A Scientist!
NEWTON Home Page NEWTON Teachers Visit Our Archives Ask A Question How To Ask A Question Question of the Week Our Expert Scientists Volunteer at NEWTON! Frequently Asked Questions Referencing NEWTON About NEWTON About Ask A Scientist Education At Argonne Eye Glasses Genetics 
Name: Hans
Location: N/A
Country: N/A
Date: N/A
Question:
Why are so many people, like me, helpless without glasses? In hard times survival of the fittest should have severely punished individuals having poor sight. So in the previous generations, and in our mammalian predecessors, propensity to poor sight should have been weeded out.


Replies:
This is not a question that has not been asked a number of times by scientists. The reason for the increase of glasses wearing seems to be a product of the modern environment. For example, it has just recently learned that night lights in infants and young children's room during the nighttime hours may be the cause of many glasses wearers in later years. New statistical analysis support this notion. There is some detrimental effect of sleeping with a light on in the room.

Other reasons are forecoming, but the data is not available yet.

Steve Sample Up-date April 2013 There may be some pertinent information at tjhe following web site: Http://www.PreventMyopia.org


Click here to return to the Biology Archives

NEWTON is an electronic community for Science, Math, and Computer Science K-12 Educators, sponsored and operated by Argonne National Laboratory's Educational Programs, Andrew Skipor, Ph.D., Head of Educational Programs.

For assistance with NEWTON contact a System Operator (help@newton.dep.anl.gov), or at Argonne's Educational Programs

NEWTON AND ASK A SCIENTIST
Educational Programs
Building 360
9700 S. Cass Ave.
Argonne, Illinois
60439-4845, USA
Update: June 2012
Weclome To Newton

Argonne National Laboratory