Playing Outside Helps Childrens' Vision

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A recent study has found that playing outside can help kids' vision.  In this day and age, most kids spend time indoors playing with iPads, tablets, and watching an excessive amount of television, which in turn affects the development of their eyes.  Too much time spent in front of a screen can be detrimental to the eyes.   Kids need general exposure to outdoor lighting to reduce myopia  (nearsightedness). Research has shown that; if kids spend 14 hours a week playing outside, it can decrease the genetic risk of myopia.  Children who have 2 nearsighted parents and spend little to no time playing outdoors, are 60% more likely to need glasses.  The theory is that; the bright outdoor light stimulates dopamine release from cells in the retina. 

It makes sense that playing outside can help kids' vision.  Light levels are higher outdoors than indoors.  In class, we learned a lot about 'rods' and 'cones'; the two photoreceptors in the retina.  Rods function well in dim light, but are sensitive to high light levels.  Kids who spend more time indoors, use these photoreceptors that contain the photopigment; rhodopsin.  By spending more time indoors, children are using their 'rods' a lot more than their 'cones'.  Cones contain iodopsin, and operate better outside, or in brighter lighting. The fovea centralis is composed of closely packed cones in the retina which result in good visual acuity, or the ability to see clearer at greater distances.


https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/playing-outside-seems-to-help-kids-vision/2017/11/10/b3b66f42-adcf-11e7-a908-a3470754bbb9_story.html?utm_term=.1193a42e377b

Comments

  1. UnknownNovember 16, 2017 at 7:26 PM

    Unfortunately in this generation we have four year olds and six year olds recieving tablets for christmas. Childhood is all about discovering and exploring. I completely agree with this. If the child goes outside their eyes would not be as damaged compared to a child that stares at the television screen all day.

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  2. Madelyn Anderson FraleyNovember 16, 2017 at 8:32 PM

    It makes sense that excessive screen usage contributes to the development of myopia in children. Not only is the eye still growing, but the brain is still developing its neural networks of how to best integrate the information visual stimuli present it. If a majority of the stimuli come from up close, the ability to see objects that are far away may deteriorate simply due to lack of use.

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  3. LaShanah HolmesNovember 17, 2017 at 4:46 AM

    In recent medical research, myopia has been shown to increase in children, but atropine, typically given as eyedrops for children ages 5-7 has shown to decrease the progression of myopia as well, and also prevent severe near sightedness. The dorsal stream, which is linked to vision and movement, and the location of objects could potentially be effected due to the increase of myopia if children continue to be exposed to iPhones, iPads, and other forms of excessive and direct ultraviolet radiation- myopia will become worse at that point.

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