Half the world will need glasses by 2050, says a guy who knows this kind of stuff. Scientist Andrew Herbert wrote in an article that some even consider myopia, also known as nearsightedness, an epidemic. If current trends continue, about half of the global population will need corrective lenses to offset myopia by 2050. That’s up from 23% in 2000. Recent studies show that that an important reason for the uptick in myopia is that people are spending more time focusing on objects immediately in front of our eyes, such as screens. The more time we spend focusing on something that close, known as “near work,” the greater the odds of having myopia. (Coming soon…the tablet-sized smartphone!)