No, Near work as a cause of myopia is directly contrary to the facts. It's Just an old myth uncovered by Dr. Bates when he investigated the facts with the retinoscope. We can however see something called 'pseudomyopia' form as a result of excessive near work. This kind of myopia isn't due to the axial length of the eyeball, but the tonic accomodation which accumulates. You can tell this type of myopia apart from the real stuff if you put some eye drops in and then perform a refraction. USually accounts for <1.5 dioptres. But since many people have recovered from higher dioptres, we know that real myopia certainly can be cured. If the sight is accomodated for long distance for the majority of the time, pseudomyopia will usually go away automatically, no intervention. that's why some ignoramus people think plus lens can cure myopia > since it causes the eye to artificially accomodate further away than usual.
Bates found with the testimony of repeated retinoscopy that strain at the distance is a primary cause. So that automatically gives the answer to 'why lots of programmers don't get myopia'? Why should they? Although , I do know a lot of programmers who suffer myopia ;D (uhh apavel, david oleg ? hehe).
Quote:I mean we are born with perfect vision.... what causes our eyes to strain?
Actually, Bates used to retinoscope on new born babies (5-10 minutes directly after birth) and found them often severely hyperopic ! :o
So, we are not born with perfect vision. Slowly slowly we learn how to see as we grow older, until toddler or something. In fact, a big fascination for babies, when they learning to walk, is to look to one side and see the illusion of the swing. They are just awed by it. Which is why the bump into stuff all the time And then after you get some more older, for many people this is in school years where there is a pressure to see etc., people may strain either in distance or near resulting in myopia or hyperopia.
As we know of course myopia or hyperopia only make a small segment of the problem of 'eye disease', there are loads of other stuff like cross eye, nystagmus, cataract, and even blindness and probably a crapload of other stuff that vision scientists haven't yet come up with a definition for, in newborn babies, and the best answer we can give to WHY this happens is just: I don't know.
Bates himself admitted that he was unable to state precisely why the facts were as they were, all he knew was that in all persons who had imperfect sight, when you relieved the strain the eye disorder would be cured, no exceptions. If you read his magazine articles you can see his great fascination, that he was always very determined, trying to find out the reasons. Why are blind people born blind? And why is it that with people who were born blind, Bates was sometimes able to improve or even cure altogether?
Probably the coming generation of intelligent scientists will figure it all out? I think it is beyond our current technologies to give a good answer, really.
I've noticed that whenever I've taken a strong muscle relaxant, such as Valium, my eyesight gets considerably better, often having tons of clear flashes.
sorry when I said 'david, apavel, oleg' i meant 'suffered' because they are now cured or getting cured
btw don't take artificial drugs to improve your sight. I'm not sure what 'valium' is but it doesn't sound good ;D
since it causes the eye to artificially accomodate further away than usual.
And then after you get some more older, for many people this is in school years where there is a pressure to see etc., people may strain either in distance or near resulting in myopia or hyperopia. 
