Ask A Scientist© Biology Archive

 
name         Hans
status       other
age          40s

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.
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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 fore coming, but the data is not available yet.

Steve Sample
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