Just watching the Christmas Carols from Kings College and I was surprised how many young people are wearing spectacles now. When I went to school I only remember two people in my class that wore spectacles
Same here. It may have to do with young people straining their eyes by exposing them to the blue light of PC and mobile phone screens too long.
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Perhaps thereās a greater awareness these days when it comes to eye care and routine visits to the opticians. Not to mention the staggering advances in technology/diagnostics since the good old days.
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Iāve worn glasses since I was about 13ā¦.well they did say Iād go blind 
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Interestingly shortsightedness seems to be an Asian disease, the current theory is that it is caused by spending too long indoors studying. That would also fit in with European children staying indoors to play video games.
Spending time outdoors in the sunshine when young seems to strengthen the eyes and make them less prone to short sightedness. The difference in light between sunlight/daylight and artificial light is immense (as your camera knows only too well).
Well anyway that was a theory I read for this epidemic in sortsighted Asians (particularly ethnic Chinese) I am sure if you google it something will come up about it.
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So nothing to do with your genes thenā¦?
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Similar here and I was the two of us at school. Later my eyes got very poor with cataracts so I got new ones. Excellent they are!
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What I do vaguely remember is seeing kids wearing blue framed (NHS) glasses with a whopping great Elastoplast stuck over one lens for some reason.
Thatās definitely something you donāt see anymore.
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Like this (itās not me ā¦ 
)
Was the patch to ācorrectā a lazy or wandering eye?
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Yes, just like that. And the lazy eye thing rings bells.
Iām sure you didnāt need to quite that emphatic about it not being youā¦Oh yes it was!!!
Weāre still in pantomime season remember 
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It definitely isnāt me but I remember Alan Brown, aged 10Ā¾, as a One-Eyed Speccy ā¦ 
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Yes, of course genetics plays a part but they donāt explain the sudden, dramatic rise in shortsightedness.
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I think itās summat to do with the sun - must be - everything else is?
Iāve had glasses since I was 11.
My parents reckoned it was because I sat too close to the TV.
They should have realised I sat so close to the tv because I needed glasses!
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I didnāt either until I put mine on!!!
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I assume it was to correct a squint Chilliboot.
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Apparently, thatās one reason ā¦
Wearing an eye patch at school or nursery
Why does my child need to be patched?
Patching may be used when a child has one eye that is ālazyā. This may
be because there is a large difference in the glasses prescription between
the two eyes, or a squint. This is sometimes referred to as amblyopia. The
good eye is patched to encourage the weaker eye to work harder.
The cynical side of me wonders how much of this is the opticians and eyewear manufacturers looking after their futures. Get the young people in specs just in case, and then they canāt do without them. The muscles in the eyes get weaker from the assistance of a lens (use it or lose it) and itās none refundable.
As muscles in the eyes of older people get weaker and less able to adjust the lens, spectacles provide the perfect solution, but Iāve always wondered if certain exercises could strengthen the muscles more efficiently than a pair of Ā£400 Hugo Boss binnsā¦
Has there been any studies? Hereās oneā¦Although Dr Mandell himself wears specsā¦
Really Foxy!
A conspiracy theory too far?
If taking children to the opticians for a check out benefits their eyesight and consequently their well being as a whole then Iām struggling to see an issue of any sort.
When I was forty I went for a visit to the opticians. It freaked me out I can tell you when at the end of the appointment a rather serious faced optician scribbled down a letter and strongly suggested that I take it to my GP post hasteā¦ glaucoma as it turned out.
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Obviously Iām not suggesting that anybody should not have their children checked out with an optician should they suspect a problem with their, or their childrenās visionā¦
How easy the words āConspiracy Theoryā roll off peoples lips, and investigation and research neglected after reassurance from so called experts and the media. There are many good experienced opticians out there who offer expert advice, but there are those who are unscrupulous and are motivated by money and salesā¦There are more causes of visual impairment than is produced by shortsightednessā¦