“ The mechanism for why it is beneficial to be outside is not fully understood ,” says Deborah Jones , interim director and clinical professor of the School of Optometry & Vision Science and clinical scientist at the Centre for Contact Lens Research . “ It is thought that it might relate to certain wavelengths of light being beneficial to slow down eye growth which slows down the progression of myopia .”
There are a few ways to help increase children ’ s time spent outside each day including walking the dog or riding a bike . It is the brightness of natural sunlight that is beneficial rather than ultra-violet light , so it is important to use sun protection .
The study entitled , “ Myopia Prevalence in Canadian School Children ,” found nearsightedness , also known as myopia , increases drastically from Grade 1 to 8 , with almost a third of the cases going undiagnosed and uncorrected .
“ It is not fully understood , why myopia is showing up more often in younger children ,” says Jones . “ It can ’ t be ruled out that children are doing more near-activities – in particular the use of electronics such as tablets and phones .”
It is suggested that children limit near tasks to two hours per day , including time on handheld digital devices , reading and drawing .
“ One of the biggest factors is genetic .”
According to the study ’ s research , myopia usually starts at around age 12 or 13 , but is now showing up more often in kids six or seven . years old .
The study estimated myopia prevalence to be six per cent in ages six through eight and increased to 28.9 per cent in children aged 11 through 13 . The Canadian Association of Optometrists recommends eye exams every year for school-aged children . Of the children who participated in the study , six percent had uncorrected myopia .
“ This kind of gradual deterioration in eyesight easily goes unnoticed without regular eye exams ,” says Jones .
According to the report , children of a parent with myopia have more than double the risk of developing it themselves . “ One of the biggest factors is genetic ,” says Jones . Myopia is an inherited condition known as a refractive error .
This pilot study was the first of its kind studying the general population of school-aged children in Canada .
About 170 children from the Waterloo region in Ontario participated in the study , with 17.5 percent of them being nearsighted .
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