Eyes degeneration?

[Algis]

In the past year my eye sight has gone very bad and I can't see a doctor because I am in a different country and really can't afford to see one ( they take money here even to just see you, additional money if you need some diognosis ).

I have a history of incredible time of sitting in front of a computer ( for 2 years, 10+ hours a day, with some days excluded due to hanging out and parties and such ), I didn't have any problems untill recently I tried to read a book ( I barely ever read ) it did have a small text, but i had to get the book as close as 10 cm's to see the letters, besides that I seem to be okay, besides the "flies" effect I get sometimes.

However in a month I'll be going back to my country, should I see an eye doctor or is it certain that it's due to the computer? ( The games I played needed very good concentration and intensity of eyes in addition to reaction ).

Thank you i advance!

[John C Hagan III, MD, FACS, FAAO]

The exact role of near work like reading or computers in the development or progression of myopia is incompletely understood in spite of over half century of research.

One thing that works against this theory is that although the number of people using computers and using them longer has increased dramatically in the last 20 years there has not been a proportional increase in myopia.

JCH MD

[SvenNilsson]

Sounds like simple myopia to me. Trust me, your computer hours are almost certainly to blame for it. This is why myopia is so rare in developing countries.

You should use reading glasses whenever working with the computer. +1 is good if the screen is about one meter from your face. For reading a book, +1.5 or more may be good. Basically, the stronger the better, as long as you can see clearly of course. It will prevent your myopia from getting worse. I wish someone had informed me about this when I was a little kid, so I could have prevented my myopia, which is now pretty severe.

[John C Hagan III, MD, FACS, FAAO]

You have options: Glasses, contacts or refractive surgery like lasik   Discuss with your ophthalmologist.
JCH MD

[Algis]

Thank you for your answer, I am 20 years olds, I used to see well ( far away obejects and text ), now I see better on a computer screen than on a 93cm TV. Guess It's time for glasses.