Does Your Child Have Myopia? Send Them Outside!
, Helping Young Patients From All Over CITY 1, With Myopia Management
What Does Vision Therapy Treat?
Myopia, more commonly known as nearsightedness, affects millions of adults and children worldwide. The condition occurs when a person’s eyeball is too long, or the cornea or lens has an irregular shape. It is often hereditary, especially if both parents are nearsighted.
Common Symptoms of Myopia
People with myopia experience poor distance vision and symptoms such as:
- Blurry vision
- Headaches from squinting or straining the eyes
- Struggling while driving, especially during night hours
- Difficulty reading street signs
Children, in particular, experience other symptoms like:
- Squinting when reading or watching TV
- Feeling tired when doing schoolwork or playing sports
- Headaches from eyestrain
Kids with myopia may compensate for their vision problems by sitting close to a TV or movie screen to see the images better. Often, they might need to sit in the front of the classroom in order to see the teacher and the board more clearly.
Myopia Management
Fortunately, today there are many methods available to manage the condition, both medical and natural, and each patient (or their parents) should decide which type of care is right for them. Often, the best approach is to combine both options for the most successful, long-term results. The earlier this is done, the better off your child will be, especially as they grow into adulthood.
Going Outdoors Is a Natural Treatment, and It’s Free!
Scientific studies show that children who spend a considerable amount of time indoors watching TV or playing video or computer games are at a significantly higher risk for developing myopia.
One reason is the lack of natural light over the long-term can be detrimental to a person’s eyesight. When our eyes are deprived of natural light, they can become more sensitive when suddenly exposed to it. This is similar to when the lights in a room are off and then suddenly turned back on. When that occurs, we feel pain in our eyes.
The obvious solution? Go outside!
Spending Time Outdoors Is Important for Kids with Myopia
Okay, but how does being outside impact nearsightedness?
The sun’s natural ultraviolet (UV) rays contain vitamin D, which, in limited amounts, can be beneficial for our health. Scientists believe that these UV rays have the ability to change the shape of the sclera (the white part of the eye) and the cornea. Additionally, daytime light is brighter than artificial light, such as the kind generated by light bulbs.
When children with nearsightedness spend time outdoors, their risk of having long-term myopia decreases. A recent study was conducted by the Centre for Ocular Research & Education (CORE) at the University of Waterloo’s School of Optometry and Vision Science. The study showed that children who spend 1 extra hour outdoors each week had a more than 14% decrease of the risk of developing myopia.
Spending time outdoors and exposure to natural light (within limits, of course) allows the eyes to become more used to natural light. This activity counteracts the effects of excessive time indoors. As an added benefit, going outside is completely FREE.
Parents can make being outdoors fun by playing sports, having a picnic or barbeque, going on a hike, doing a puzzle, painting, or whatever other activities your family enjoys. Teachers and youth group leaders can organize camping trips, scavenger hunts, fishing, or some other kind of creative project.
Outdoor time should be a priority just as diet, exercise, and avoiding unhealthy habits and risky behaviors are in a child’s life. Being outdoors, in combination with other types of treatment options, can cause significant improvement for a child’s myopia.
Additional Corrective Measures for Myopia
How We Can Help
Talk to us today about how we can help your child’s nearsightedness. We treat patients from the CITY 1, CITY 2, CITY 3, and CITY 4 areas with myopia control and other vision needs. and the team of experienced staff at The Myopia Management Center At will customize a treatment plan and answer any questions you may have.
Book an appointment today and let’s get your child on the road to great eye health.