Has hitting the books made me nearsighted?

[mhk87]

I'm a 21 year old college student who has seen my 20/20 deteriorate since starting in college 2 1/2 years ago...  At first, long study sessions would cause blurry faces in the hallways on the walk to and from my dorm's study lounge.  This would clear itself up within a few hours and reoccur every time I sat down again for any extended perior.  By the end of freshman year objects in the distance stayed blurry.  A summer without any reading allowed my vision to go back to normal but upon return to school sophomore year the vision went and to this day (half way through junior year) I still have excellent close up vision but frustratingly blurry distance vision when trying to catch a street name or even read a wall clock.  

Is it feasible that the increased reading at close distances has caused this?  Do my eyes have the ability to correct themselves (they seem to have "adjusted" forward...)?  Could bifocals be used to correct the problem?  Would contact lenses "freeze" my vision where it is now?

[mhk87]

Thanks for the response.  I did see an Opthalmologist at the end of the summer, and he left glasses up to my discretion...  When you recommend checking to see if I need glasses, is this because they could prevent further deterioration in vision or just in case the myopia is reaching dangerous levels for driving etc?  I must've left the prescription he recommended back home but will post up later.  The main thing I was wondering was what effect getting contacts may have on my vision ever improving...  Randomly tried on someone else's glasses one night and couldn't believe how much better my distance vision was.  I'm wondering if it's too early to give in.

[Michael J Kutryb, MD]

You are not alone.  It is well known that large periods of near work over a long time can cause a temporary increase in myopia.  Usually, things begin to settle down when you get to your late 30's. I want to stress that you should see an Ophthalmologist for a complete evaluation. Make sure you don't need glasses.  Learn to take frequent breaks and focus far away to relax your focusing muscles. Contacts or bifocals will not make a major impact on this.  Again, talk with your ophthalmologist to see what can be done for your specific situation.

MJK MD