Does Playing Outdoors Benefit Kids' Vision?
Study Shows Children Who Play More Outside Are Less Likely to Be Nearsighted
Explaining the Role of Outdoor Activity continued...
Making any definite links requires further study, he says.
One study from China, not included in the current analysis, involved 80 nearsighted children between the ages of 7 and 11, Khawaja says. Half agreed to spend less than 30 hours on close-up work and more than 14 hours outdoors per week.
After two years, children who spent more time outdoors and less time indoors were less likely be nearsighted.
Nearsightedness is much more common in the U.S. and other countries than 40 years ago, according to the American Academy of Ophthalmology. Another study presented at the meeting showed about 4% of preschoolers had nearsightedness.
In some Asian countries, more than 80% of the population is nearsighted.
These findings were presented at a medical conference. They should be considered preliminary as they have not yet undergone the "peer review" process, in which outside experts scrutinize the data prior to publication in a medical journal.