Some of the more common questions I hear are “Doctor, how do I keep my child’s eyes from getting more near-sighted?” or “are video games hurting my child’s eyes?”
The truth is, there have been many theories over the years about what causes near-sightedness (technically known as Myopia) to progress. Certainly genetics play a big role, but what about environmental factors?
In China, where as many as 90% of urban youth are myopic, it is truly considered an epidemic and many studies are being conducted about what causes myopia and how to stop its progression. The current research seems to disprove the common belief that “near work” (reading or computer use) leads to increases in myopia. Surprisingly, myopia appears to be correlated to how much time the children spend outdoors! In other words, the more time outside in natural sunlight, the less myopia progression. The activity outside doesn’t seem to matter, it can be playing or it can be reading, just get outdoors! Perhaps the sun is the best remedy for myopia. And it is much more difficult to play a video game outdoors…just saying. 
Click here to learn more about the myopia epidemic in China
Click here to learn how the sun is a remedy for myopia
