The Study
Near viewing behaviors predict educational system in a machine learning model
This study looked at how people hold books or screens and found that guys who went to super strict schools tend to hold things closer and take shorter breaks. But it doesn’t prove that holding things close made their eyes worse — maybe they already had bad eyesight and held things closer because of that, or maybe something else like genetics played a role.
Analysis score
Maximum 44 for a cross-sectional study.
Where the score came from
This study found that people who went to super strict schools as kids still hold their books and screens closer and take fewer long breaks to look far away—even as adults.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 544 / 100
Quality score
Snapshots of a population at a single point in time, or descriptions of small groups. Can identify correlations and prevalence, but cannot determine cause and effect.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Yes — these habits are persistent and distinct enough that a computer can guess which school system someone attended just by watching how they hold their phone or book.
- 2People from strict schools read at 41.6 cm on average (vs.
- 348.4 cm), spent 31% of time looking at things closer than 40 cm (vs.
- 420%), and took long distance breaks less than 1% of the time (vs.
- 51.3%).
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Scientific Reports
Year
2025
Authors
Ravid Doron, Einat Shneor, Lisa A. Ostrin, A. Gordon-Shaag, Ayelet Goldstein
Related Content
Claims (6)
Extended close-up visual work without looking at distant objects leads to worsening nearsightedness due to continuous tension in the eye's focusing muscle and changes in eye shape.
Adults who experienced highly demanding school environments as children hold reading materials closer to their eyes—about 41.6 centimeters—compared to adults who had standard school environments, who hold materials about 48.4 centimeters away.
Adults who attended highly demanding schools spend more time looking at things close to their eyes—about 31% of the time—than adults who attended standard schools, who spend about 20% of the time doing so.
Adults who attended intensive educational systems look at distant objects for more than five minutes far less often during academic work than adults who attended standard educational systems.
Machine learning models can determine with 80% accuracy whether an adult attended an intensive or standard educational system by analyzing their patterns of near-viewing distance and long-distance viewing breaks.
Among adults, the severity of nearsightedness is not linked to how close people hold objects to their eyes or how much time they spend looking at nearby objects.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.