Most parents are aware of the many benefits associated with children taking part in outdoor activities. The obvious benefits of fresh air and physical exercise aren’t the only perks for kids who play outdoors. Recent research shows that increased “sun time” can actually slow down the progression of myopia (often referred to as nearsightedness), or even postpone its onset!

But First, What Is Myopia and Why Is It Harmful?

Myopia is an eye disease that causes the eye to elongate more than it should, resulting in blurry distance vision. It’s caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors, two of which are not spending enough time outdoors and doing excessive near work like device use.

Many parents aren’t aware that childhood myopia significantly increases the risk of developing serious eye diseases and conditions like glaucoma, retinal detachment, and macular degeneration later in life. It’s been shown that higher myopia is associated with a greater risk of eye disease.

That’s why it’s important to stop myopia in its tracks with myopia management.

3 Reasons Why Outdoor Play Benefits Your Child’s Eyes

Whether your child is currently nearsighted or not, spending time outdoors in the sunshine can help delay the onset of myopia or slow its progression.

The Brightness of the Sun

The sun’s visible light is significantly brighter than the lighting in almost any indoor setting, which may play a major role in controlling myopia.

Studies have shown that when sunlight comes in contact with the retina, it causes the release of dopamine into the eye. This may prevent the eye from elongating. Preventing the eye from growing too long is the main goal of myopia management.

What is certain: children who spend at least 2-3 hours playing outdoors in the sunshine progress less rapidly than children who spend almost all their time indoors.

Long-Distance Focusing

It is well established that prolonged near activities like reading and screen time contribute to myopia onset and progression. It’s no surprise that studies now show COVID-19 confinement may have caused higher rates of myopia in children as well.

Spending time outdoors, on the other hand, encourages your child to focus on distant objects like trees, basketball hoops, a ball flying through the air— anything that’s more than an arm’s length away.

Vitamin D

Vitamin D helps smooth muscle tissue around the eye’s crystalline lens allowing it to function properly.

This smooth muscle helps focus light on the retina, and may also help maintain the proper eye shape and length between the lens and the retina, which can become distorted as a child’s eyes grow with every passing year.

Moreover, the sun’s invisible UVB light triggers Vitamin D production. Some studies have found that nearsighted individuals have lower levels of Vitamin D than those with normal vision. However, more research is needed to solidify this claim, as only small-scale studies have been performed.

The recommended time for daily outdoor play is at least 2 hours for children over the age of 6. Be sure to send your child outside with a water bottle, sun hat, sunglasses, and sunscreen.

At Treehouse Eyes, our goal is to battle childhood myopia and preserve children’s eye health for the long term. We encourage parents to learn more about myopia and check out real stories from satisfied parents and children sharing their experiences with our professional doctors, staff, and myopia treatment protocols at Treehouse Eyes.

Prevent serious, sight-robbing eye diseases by scheduling your child’s myopia consultation today. Contact your local Treehouse Eyes provider today and see your child’s quality of life improve before your eyes!

As time goes on, chances are you probably know someone who has myopia – whether your child, a friend, family member or yourself. But how much do you really know about this eye disease?

Some parents expect that simply receiving a pair of glasses for their child is the only way of dealing with the effects of myopia. In truth, there’s much more to myopia and what you can do about it than meets the eye.

Below, we’ll explore 5 facts about myopia that may inspire you to be more proactive about your child’s eye health and long-term vision.

Myopia is an Eye Disease

Myopia is an eye disease where the eyeball grows too long, leading light to be focused in front of the retina instead of directly on it. Because the eye is elongated, incoming light doesn’t focus on the retina as it should, leading objects in the distance to appear blurry. As an example, If a normal eye is round like a basketball, a myopic eye would look more like a football.

Because the eye elongates and grows with the rest of the body, naturally, it stops elongating once the rest of the body stops growing in early adulthood. This also means there may be times in a child’s development where they experience growth spurts—suddenly requiring a higher prescription due to an increase in their myopia.

It’s More Common Than You Think

Myopia is an eye disease of epidemic proportions, affecting close to 2 billion people worldwide. If things don’t change, half of the world’s population will have some degree of myopia by the year 2050!

It’s a Progressive Condition

Myopia generally begins in childhood and progresses throughout the school-age years, usually stabilizing into the late teens.

Because the eye grows in tandem with the body, it’s only natural that it stops elongating once the rest of the body stops growing in early adulthood. This also means there may be times in a child’s development where they experience growth spurts and suddenly require a higher prescription. There are ways to effectively treat myopia in order to prevent it from progressing as the child grows. Slowing myopia early on can make all the difference to your child’s eye health as they age.

Myopia Puts Kids At Risk of Developing Future Eye Disease

Myopic children are significantly more likely to develop sight-threatening eye diseases and conditions, such as glaucoma, cataracts, macular degeneration, and retinal detachment later in life.

Children with high myopia have a 50% higher risk of developing glaucoma, are 3 times more likely to develop cataracts, and 6 times more likely to develop retinal detachment as adults than children who don’t have myopia.

Myopia is more than just a matter of clear vision — a child’s eye health is at stake. In fact, a study published in the Journal of Optometry and Vision Science noted that when parents provided their children with myopia management, the risks of developing myopic maculopathy fell by 40%.

Myopia Can Be Managed

At Treehouse Eyes, we know how important your child’s eye health is to you, and we’re here to help! We offer the latest and most effective myopia management treatments to limit the progression of myopia so that your child can live his or her best life. Check out real stories from satisfied parents and children sharing their experiences with our professional doctors, staff, and myopia treatment protocols at Treehouse Eyes.

Prevent serious, sight-robbing eye diseases by scheduling your child’s myopia consultation today. Contact your local Treehouse Eyes provider today and see your child’s quality of life improve before your eyes!