Kick Your Kids Out(side) for Their Own Good

With all the advances in electronics and social media, it is no wonder that children are opting to stay in the comfort of the indoors rather than pursuing outdoor activities. It is at times like these that parents need to be extra vigilant in forcing their kids out of the house and play around like a kid. 

A new study from the University of Bristol has given another valid reason for keeping children outside. According to their research, children who spend more time outside are less likely to develop myopia (near-sightedness) than children who prefer the indoors and staring at a lit-up screen.

Myopia is one of the most prevalent conditions on the plant, affecting between 25 and 50 percent of young people in the West and up to 80 percent of young people in parts of south-east Asia. Around the world, more than a third of all adults are myopic, requiring glasses in order to see distant objects clearly. This percentage has doubled over the last thirty years, for reasons one can speculate upon.

One can speculate that the reason myopia is decreased by being outside is because the eyes get more exercise. They are constantly moving around and adjusting their focus. The eyes also get more practice in viewing objects at greater distance. When indoors, the eyes cannot focus on anything further than the wall in front of them.

Read more of this summary at the Environmental News Network.

This study has been published in the journal Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science