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Does Playing Outdoors Improve Children's Eyesight?
As eye care professionals, we’ve witnessed a worrying trend of late. More and more children are being diagnosed with myopia, otherwise known as being nearsighted. We’re not the only ones to notice either. In the 1970s, myopia was diagnosed in the US at a rate of about 25%. That has since increased to a whopping 42%. In essence, in just five decades, instances of nearsightedness have risen nearly 68%. The World Health Organization has begun to sound the alarm, predicting that if something doesn’t change, half of the world’s population will be nearsighted by 2050. That’s not all. We’re increasingly also seeing children diagnosed with myopia younger and younger.
It's clear that something is causing such drastic changes in our children’s eyes, but what could it be? Interestingly enough, studies have begun to point the finger at our increasing reliance on digital devices like phones and tablets as the likely culprit for rising nearsighted diagnoses. However, the same research shows encouraging young kids to play outside more often might be the cure to the global myopia pandemic.
That’s why the eye care experts at Clarkson Eyecare are taking a closer look at the link between outdoor play and children’s vision. Read on to discover yet another reason playing outside is healthy for children.
How Do Phones, Computers, and Tablets Increase Myopia in Children?
Years of biological research have helped us realize that the human body is a very adaptable thing. It’s why victims of traumatic brain injuries can learn to recover certain functions, why mountain climbers are able to train their lungs and circulatory system to function at high altitudes, or even how your eyes can gradually adjust to see better when you enter a dark room (night vision).
The way our eyes function also adapts based on how we use them. Unlike us, the children of today are growing up in a world completely dominated by screens. Generation Z is the first generation to have grown up in a world where widespread usage of the internet always existed. This is changing the way kids’ eyes interact with the world. More and more children are spending increasing amounts of time focusing on phones and tablets. When children are young, their eyes are still developing. As they spend most of their day with their eyes trained on close-up objects, their eyes begin to adapt to this usage, taking on a more elongated shape.
This elongation makes it harder for children to see objects farther away because it changes the focusing point of light within the eye. Instead of focusing on the retina, it focuses in front of it, causing distant images to become blurry. To fix this, eye doctors prescribe glasses and contacts that are designed to alter the way light enters the eye. Concave lenses alter the trajectory of light so that instead of focusing in front of the retina, it focuses on the retina.
The Risks of Childhood Myopia
Having nearsightedness as a child doesn’t just mean you’ll need glasses for the rest of your life. Myopia actually increases the risk factors for several other sight-stealing eye conditions. This includes conditions like glaucoma and macular degeneration. Additionally, we’re seeing more children with retinal detachments. That’s something that shouldn’t happen in children unless they received a serious eye injury or infection.
Eye doctors around the world are seriously worried about the myopia epidemic’s current trajectory. It may start with nearsightedness, but we might be looking at a future where half of the world’s people develop serious conditions with the risk of blindness in the near future. Preventing that outcome should be everyone’s priority.
How Playing Outside May Prevent Childhood Nearsightedness
So, if focusing on the close-up screens is the problem, what’s the solution? Interestingly enough, studies have shown that having children play outside can actually help prevent myopia. This is because outside play does two crucial things:
Exposes children to natural lighting
Forces children to focus vision on distant objects like trees
Sunlight carries something very crucial we all need to survive: Vitamin D. Some studies have shown that increased Vitamin D intake may slow the effects of myopia by increasing dopamine levels, which in turn decreases the rate at which the eye elongates. Although preventing nearsightedness isn’t the only reason you should have your kids seek out Vitamin D. It’s a necessary nutrient for helping bones absorb calcium, boosting your immune system, and supporting muscle and brain function.
Aside from Vitamin D, additional research has supported the idea that outside play requires kids to direct their attention to things in the distance. By moving sight between near and far objects, it allows the eyes to break the cycle of intense close-up focus. In fact, research has demonstrated that having children spend an extra 76 minutes per day outside can decrease the chances of childhood myopia by up to 50%.
What You Can Do to Prevent Your Kids from Getting Myopia
We know that, as parents, you want what’s best for your children. That’s why our doctors have put together a list of tips to help your children reduce their risk of becoming nearsighted.
Decrease Screen Time
With digital screens being everywhere these days, this is probably the hardest thing to do. However, it’s highly recommended to put limits on your child’s screentime to give their eyes a break.
Screentime limits should vary by age group. Children under two years of age should not be allowed screentime aside from some video chatting. Children from two to five should be allowed one hour of screen time. Children six and up should be allowed no more than two hours of screen time a day.
Encourage Outdoor Time with Family Activities
A great way to get kids outside is to go out and do something as a family. This could be something as simple as a walk around the neighborhood, or you can play a game. As long as the activity lasts close to two hours, it should help your child’s eyes to relax and prevent them from quickly elongating to adapt to constant close-up focus.
Teach Your Kids the 20/20/20 Rule
The 20/20/20 rule states that when using screens, every 20 minutes you should stop and look at an object 20 feet away for 20 seconds. This gives your eyes a break for all the intense focus and can help prevent other eye conditions like digital eye fatigue and chronic dry eyes.
For young children, set timers to remind them to stop and look at an object 20 feet away every 20 minutes. Eventually it will become a habit.
Get A Comprehensive Kids’ Eye Exam at Clarkson Eyecare
The most surefire way to prevent myopia in your children is to take them for annual eye exams. During comprehensive exams, our doctors check specifically for refractive errors like myopia. If we find your child is nearsighted, there are steps we can take to try and lessen the symptoms. This is called myopia management and is a specific type of treatment shown to significantly reduce or even stop myopia from getting worse.
Find a Clarkson Eyecare today and book a Kids’ Eye Exam to help your child keep their vision sharp and clear for years to come.