DON’T stare at the sun or you’ll go blind, mothers rightly warn their children. But a few hours of safe playing in the sunlight could, on the other hand, do wonders for their eyesight.
If scientists are right, the antidote to short-sightedness —
a blight in Singapore where up to 90 per cent of students reportedly don spectacles by the time they leave school — is something this sunny island has plenty of.
Exposure to bright light for
two to three hours daily, such as during outdoor activity, helps regulate the eye’s growth, reducing the risk of myopia in children, an Australian Research Council study has found. And some Singapore doctors subscribe to this. Consultant eye surgeon Dr Jerry Tan has been getting his patients’ children to exercise in the sun for at least 10 minutes a day. “It seems to be stopping the progression of myopia. Anecdotal evidence seems to show a high success rate,” he said.
Lead researcher Professor Ian Morgan of the Australian study told AFP the team was “intrigued” by the difference in myopia rates among Australian and Asian students. Just 20 per cent of Australians need glasses when they leave school. And while
30 per cent of six and seven-year-old Singaporeans had developed the condition,
only 1.3 per cent of Australians of the same age did. The figures were similar when comparing children of Chinese descent from both nations, so ethnicity was eliminated as a factor.
What was significant: Here, children spend
an average of 30 minutes outside every day, compared with
two hours for the average Australian. Both groups spent about the same amount of time reading, watching television and playing computer games, debunking the theory
that flickering screens were ruining children’s eyes, said Prof Morgan.
So, how does sunlight work its magic? Dr Tan cited a German professor who patented a technique using ultraviolet light to stop the eyeball from growing longer (which causes myopia). “The best source of ultraviolet light is the sun,” he said. Dr Chua Wei Han, a consultant ophthalmologist at the Singapore National Eye Centre, said other similar studies have been published. “It’s the outdoor activity that seems to be associated with less myopia, rather than sunlight per se,” he said. “This is also consistent with our eye doctors’ and Health Promotion Board recommendations that outdoor activities are important to help prevent myopia.”
One theory is that just by being outdoors, children are not doing near-work activities — like staring at computer screens — which brings on myopia. But while parents should ensure their kids have more outdoor time, Dr Quah Boon Long, head of ophthalmology at KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, warned it might not help prevent myopia in all children as there are many reasons the condition develops.
Interesting eh?? Taken from Today's Paper on the 7th of Jan 2009.
