Many researchers have asked what causes nearsightedness. This new study says outdoor activity may lower the risk of developing nearsightedness in children. While LASIK laser eye surgery and PRK laser eye surgery are excellent methods to “cure” nearsightedness (myopia), reasearchers have long wondered what causes nearsightedness to develop in the first place. As with many developmental issues, there is evidence for both “nature” and “nurture.” In other words, some evidence shows a genetic basis for why people become nearsighted and other evidence points to environmental causes.
A new study from the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom shows that increased time spent outdoors was associated with a reduced the risk of developing myopia and progression of myopia in children and adolescents. This study was a “meta-anaylsis,” which means it was a study that looked at hundreds of other studies and combined their results.
The authors of the study caution, however, that more information was needed to draw an absolute correlation between childhood time spent outdoors and nearsightedness. It is also not clear from this study what the benefit of spending time outdoors might be. It could be exposure to light, it could be better overall health, and it could even be Vitamin D levels. All the study tells us is that there is an association — not necessarily a cause and effect relationship — between time spent outdoors and a decreased risk for developing nearsightedness or for progression of myopia in children and adolescents. In the meantime, its good to know that there is a “cure” for nearsightedness in the form of LASIK and PRK once these children and adolescents grow up!
See Also
The Association Between Time Spent Outdoors and Myopia in Children and Adolescents
Ophthalmologists Should Consider the Causes of Myopia
Visual Deprivation Causes Myopia in Chicks
A Study of Prevailing Features and Causes of Myopia in Korean Urban School Children
Eyelid Closure Causes Myopia in Humans
New Genetic Locus On Chromosome 17 for High Myopia
Familial High Myopia Linkage to Chromosome 18
Prevalence and Risk Factors for Myopia in Victoria, Australia