Towards an epidemic of myopia due to lack of outdoor activity

Getting some fresh air to do sports and stock up on vitamin D is a good idea. But there would be another advantage: in an article published in Natureinternational experts believe that the risk of myopia among young people would be limited if they spent more time outdoors (1).

An alarming progression on a global scale

In this article entitled The Myopia Boom (the “myopia boom”), various figures show the extent of the myopia epidemic which is already affecting certain countries in the world.

In Asiathe situation is particularly critical. In China, 90% of adolescents and young adults are myopic, whereas they were only 10 to 20% of the total population 60 years ago. In other parts of East Asia, experts are seeing an unprecedented rise in cases, approaching epidemic levels.

In Europearound 40% of 12-54 year olds are myopic, compared to 20% in the 1970s.

According to some estimates, themyopia is expected to affect half of humanity in 2050!

A major environmental factor identified

Kathryn Rose, a professor at the University of Technology Sydney, said the rapid increase in the frequency of myopia in some countries cannot be due to genetics and suggests the existence of important environmental factors. Questioned by experts: the lack of outdoor activity of young people.

Read: To maintain good eyesight: no tobacco, a little alcohol, regular exercise

As the eye grows during childhood, myopia typically develops in school-age children and adolescents. In the case of myopia, the eye continues to grow and becomes too long, so that the rays focus in front of the retina. Distant objects are therefore blurred.

Several facts seem to confirm that myopia is linked to lifestyle. For example, one study compared the vision of Chinese children living in Sydney and Singapore. Result: 3% myopia among Chinese people in Sydney and 29% for those in Singapore. However, in Australia, Chinese children spent around 13 hours per week outside, compared to 3 hours in Singapore (2).

Read also: Optical illusions, myopia: a cultural phenomenon?

Overall researchers found higher rates of myopia in countries with intensive education, where children spend more time indoors.

A conclusive experience in Taiwan

Experiments aimed to test the effect of outdoor activities on children’s vision. In Taiwan, teachers let children outside for 80 minutes a day instead of giving them the opportunity to stay indoors during the break. After a year, doctors diagnosed myopia in 8% of children, compared to 18% at a nearby school (3).

The importance of diet

The opinion of LaNutrition.fr

DOther factors, such as diet, can influence vision. For example, a Western-style diet rich in dairy products, sugars and refined carbohydrates with a high glycemic index would be a factor in the development of myopia by stimulation of a cellular growth factor, IGF-1. In fact, myopic children generally experience faster growth than others. If to avoid myopia, it is advisable to go outside to rest your eyes, instead of concentrating on activities close to the tip of your nose, it would be entirely justified to also ensure that children are fed.

Omega-3 for children’s eyes

A study that followed 1,005 Chinese children ages 6 to 8 suggests that omega-3 fatty acids found in oily fish may reduce the risk of myopia (4). In this population, those who consume the most omega-3 have a shorter axial length of the eye, a sign of a lower risk of myopia. Conversely, a diet rich in saturated fats (butter, red meat) would increase the risk. Omega-3s promote irrigation of the eye.

To make the right nutritional choices, read: The best way to eat

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