Light Trick Slashes Near-Sightedness in Kids

Yesterday, I explained that spending time in the sun can reduce the risk of dying from the world’s two BIGGEST killers: heart disease and cancer.

(If you missed it, you can catch up here.)

Typically, I talk about sun benefits that extend to adults.

But today, I’ve got one for the kids in your life.

It’s a BIG reason to send them outside to play.

Myopia (near-sightedness) in children has spiked over the past three decades, and that climb shows no signs of stopping.

Later in life, that can put them at higher risk for vision-threatening conditions, including cataracts and glaucoma.

To explore a potential link between sunshine and near-sightedness, researchers tracked the outside time of 3,000 children, averaging seven years old, who did NOT have myopia.

Each child was given a smartwatch to measure sun exposure, which they were to wear daily from 7 AM to 7 PM for 10 months.

Nearly a year later, the results showed that the kids who spent more time outdoors had less risk of developing eye changes related to near-sightedness.

This was the equivalent of 2,000 lux sun intensity… or just 15 minutes in the sun.

In fact, the connection was SO STRONG that the researchers recommended spending time outdoors to prevent myopia.

The sun might not cure every disease, but it sure can contribute a lot to preventing them from occurring in the first place… for both adults AND kids.

The next time your grandkids come over, take them outside for a walk around the neighborhood or a game of catch.

You’ll ALL benefit.

P.S. Discover head-to-toe benefits of the “Sunshine Vitamin”… vital vitamin D.

SOURCE:

Chen J, Wang J, Qi Z, et al. Smartwatch Measures of Outdoor Exposure and Myopia in Children. JAMA Netw Open. 2024;7(8):e2424595.