Kids playing outdoors is good for eye health

I’m writing in appreciation of Kelly McKinley’s recently published Marin Voice commentary about the benefits of kids playing outdoors (“Amid pandemic, outdoor play in winter beneficial to kids, adults,” Jan. 30).

As a longtime eye care industry executive, I’d like to share one more reason for kids to be outdoors. In addition to the benefits for body, mind and soul that McKinley eloquently outlines, there is also a relationship between outdoor time and nearsightedness in children.

Multiple scientific studies have proven that spending less time outdoors can impact the development of nearsightedness. As children’s lifestyles have changed in the last several decades, nearsightedness has increased from 25% of the U.S. population to 40%, and that number is increasing at an alarming rate, especially among school-aged children.

For children, blurry vision can interfere with their daily lives, making it harder for them to participate in school, sports or other activities. And worsening nearsightedness is not just an inconvenience — it may also contribute to eye health complications later in life.

Many kids have been indoors even more during the past year due to COVID-19 restrictions. A recent article published in the Journal of the American Medical Association on ophthalmology examined data of school children during “COVID-19 months” in 2020 and identified a quantifiable increase in nearsightedness.

So, whether during pandemic times or not, for the health of their eyes, encourage children to spend one to two hours per day outdoors.

— Claire Venezia, Novato