Do glasses make people smarter? Or does intelligence predict the need for glasses? Wearing glasses has always been associated with being smart. The stereotype, sometimes offensive, has tagged many people with four-eyed, geek, nerd, and other similar labels. Those insults may have come out of clueless bullies.
People wear glasses for many reasons. However, they are most commonly used in correcting near-sightedness and far-sightedness. Normal vision occurs when light is focused on the retina, and the image becomes clear.
Far-sighted people see perfectly long distances but focus harder on close objects. The light then focuses on a point behind the retina, and the view appears fuzzy. Near-sighted people can see clearly at a close distance. But when focusing on objects further away, the light focuses on a point in front of the retina, and everything appears blurry.
Why do nerds wear glasses?
People like to be known as geeks, but not many like to think of themselves as nerds. So it turns out that over 41% of people are happy with being called a geek, almost double the number of people who aren’t offended by being labeled a nerd. The word nerd comes from an acronym for northern electric research and Development and the people that work there. Regardless of the word, nerd has always been used to describe the dull. They usually wear glasses and act like a fool! Are they fool or self-centric?
The Mainz University Medical Center researchers have conducted the first population-based study on nearsightedness. They found that environmental factors may have more to do with it than genetics. Regarding eyesight problems, nearsightedness is one of the most common afflictions worldwide. It can affect children from a very young age. But our eyeballs continue to grow well into adulthood. So even in the 30s, it can still get worse.
More severe cases can lead to complications like retinal detachment, macular degeneration, premature cataracts, and glaucoma. So it’s best to figure out what causes this and how to prevent it. Unfortunately, the answer may not be the one.
People of various backgrounds, interests, and professions wear glasses for various reasons. Here are some common factors that contribute to nerds wearing glasses:
Vision Correction: The most common reason for wearing glasses is to correct vision problems such as nearsightedness (myopia), farsightedness (hyperopia), or astigmatism. These refractive errors affect people regardless of their interests or personality traits.
Eye Strain and Computer Use: Many nerds, including those who work extensively with computers or engage in close-up activities like reading, may develop eye strain or computer vision syndrome. Glasses with specialized lenses, such as those with anti-reflective coatings or blue-light filters, can help alleviate symptoms and improve visual comfort.
Aging and Presbyopia: As people age, they experience presbyopia, a natural decline in their ability to focus on close objects. This condition typically occurs around 40 and requires reading glasses or multifocal lenses.
Eye Health Conditions: Some may wear glasses due to specific eye health conditions like amblyopia (lazy eye), strabismus (crossed eyes), or cataracts. Glasses can assist in managing these conditions and improving visual function.
Fashion and Personal Style: Glasses are also worn as a fashion accessory, allowing individuals to express their style and enhance their overall appearance. Many people who do not have vision problems wear non-prescription glasses for aesthetic purposes.
Researchers examined almost 5,000 patients with nearsightedness for their study and found myopia. The technical term for the affliction becomes more prevalent at the higher level of education.
- About 24% of the nearsighted patients had no formal high school education, compared to 35% of high school and vocational graduates and 53% of university graduates.
They found that nearsightedness increases with each year of school completion. Now it’s commonly accepted that genetics play a massive role in seeing, and that’s true to an extent. But this study also examined 45 genetic markers associated with myopia and found that even those have a way lower impact on the severity of the disease than education level. Most of the nerds are suffering for this reason.
So why is this happening? The current consensus is that the activities at school, like reading, looking at a whiteboard, or using a computer, rapidly deteriorate vision. But what can be done? After all, we can’t “cure” nearsightedness. We can only correct it. But even things like corrective lenses and contacts are largely unsuccessful.
Some recent studies have suggested that exposure to sunlight is the key to preventing myopia in children. So they recommend that kids spend at least 15 hours outdoors and limit their time with close-up activities, like TV and video games, to 30 hours a week.
Numerous studies have shown that people with a high IQ and higher education are more commonly linked to near-sightedness and the need to wear glasses. For example, in 2014, researchers in Germany found that near-sightedness becomes more common as the education level increases.
The researchers found that:
- 24 percent with no high school education or other training were nearsighted.
- About 35 percent of school graduates were nearsighted.
- 53 percent of university graduates were nearsighted.
Such studies only show a link between being near-sighted and being smart. They do not suggest that being near-sighted is the cause and being smart is the effect. Research suggests that the cause-and-effect relationship between being near-sighted and smart could go both ways. So glass is not the judgment of nerd people. They have specific reasons for wearing glass.
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