Eyeglasses & Eye Care Info

Spending two or three hours outside each day decreases the chance of  becoming short-sighted.It challenges the belief that short-sightedness is caused by computer use, TV watching or reading in dim light. Myopia usually develops during childhood but many adults’ eyesight worsens after they start jobs in an office. Short-sightedness is a relatively common condition in which you can clearly see objects that are close to you, while objects in the distance are blurry. In the most severe cases, patients have trouble focusing on any object that is more than a few inches away. The condition may worsen over time, starting in childhood or adolescence, and often is genetic. You are considered to have at least mild short-sightedness if you have trouble seeing any object that is within 20 feet.

The Australian government researchers believe that sunlight triggers the release of chemicals that prevent the distortion of the eyeball – which causes the condition.They compared the vision and habits of six and seven-year-olds in Singapore and Australia. Thirty per cent of the Singaporean children were short-sighted – ten times the Australian rate. A similar pattern emerged when the analysis was limited to children of Chinese descent, meaning the difference could not be explained by genetics. Both groups spent a similar amount of time reading, watching television and playing computer games. But the Australian children spent an average of two hours a day outdoors – 90 minutes more than their Asian counterparts.