A child’s risk of developing nearsightedness – where objects far away appear blurry and out-of-focus – could be reduced simply by spending more time outside, according to a new study presented at the 115th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, reports Medical News Today.
According to researchers from the U.K.’s University of Cambridge, for each extra hour spent playing outside in a week, a child’s risk of developing nearsightedness – or myopia, as it is clinically known – goes down by two percent.
"This is equivalent to an 18% reduction for every 1 additional hour of exposure per day," write the study authors.
The researchers looked at data from 10,400 children, comparing the rates of myopia with time spent playing outdoors. They found that the children who suffered from nearsightedness spent an average of 3.7 fewer hours outside when compared to children with normal vision or farsightedness.
"Future, prospective studies will help us understand which factors, such as increased use of distance vision, reduced use of near vision, natural ultra violet light exposure or physical activity, are most important," explained researcher Dr. Anthony Khawaja.
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