Outdoor activities reduce myopia risk

The optometrist at the Los Madroños de Brunete University Hospital in Madrid, Silvia González, has indicated that Outdoor activities can reduce the risk of developing myopia by up to 50 percentso this is one of the keys to stopping the progression of this condition.

“Exposure to natural light and looking at long distances act as protective factors against the development of myopia”has stated, after which he has declared that it is recommended that children spend between 40 minutes and two hours a day in outdoor spaces. This is because the estimates indicate that one in two people will be myopic in 2050.

Faced with this, González advocates acting early, since childhood is the key time to prevent. “If we do not intervene in childhood, when eye development occurs, it is much more difficult to stop the progression of myopia in later stages“, he declared, while pointing out that the main symptom is difficulty focusing on distant objects.

The school environment plays a fundamental rolehe stressed, adding that the risk of developing myopia increases when one or both parents are myopic, especially in cases of high myopia. Also, Today’s lifestyle favors close visual environmentswith increasing use of electronic devices and close-up activities.

Appropriate visual habits

To reduce its impact, it is recommended to adopt appropriate visual habits, such as “follow the 30/30/30 rule: read from more than 30 centimeters away, rest every 30 minutes and look into the distance for at least 30 seconds”continued González, who added that current treatments are aimed at stopping excessive growth of the eye.

Thus, among the available options are the use of eye drops, contact lenses for daily or night use and specific lenses for glasses designed to slow the progression of myopia. However, the approach must go beyond treatment, which is why we focus on prevention, early diagnosis and education in visual habits.

Finally, from the Los Madroños University Hospital they have reported that, by mid-century, it is expected that 10 percent of people will develop a high degree of myopia. In its more advanced forms, the associated ocular complications can be serious and even compromise vision.