Nearsightedness in Teens Linked to Insufficient Sun Exposure

According to a new study released on December 1^st, 2016, teens who spend less time in the open are more susceptible to nearsightedness than others who spend most of their time engaging in outdoor activities. Furthermore, scientists say that the same also applies to young adults in their 30s.

As the findings suggest, the individuals who spend more time exposed to ultraviolet radiation (UVB), are less likely to suffer from myopia, more commonly known as nearsightedness. The participants of the study were people aged 14 and 39. By analyzing the results, the team of researchers was able to determine that they were less likely to develop nearsightedness later on and still benefit from good eyesight even in their 60s as opposed to individuals who spend less time exposed to ultraviolet radiation.

“Increased ultraviolet B radiation exposure was associated with reduced myopia, particularly in adolescence and young childhood”, reads the paper.

Nearsightedness is associated with the condition when an individual is forced to come closer to the objects in order to clearly distinguish them. The study focused on 371 people affected by myopia, respectively 2,797 healthy individuals who lived all across Europe. The subjects originated from countries like Italy, Norway, Spain, France, the United Kingdom, and Estonia. On average, the study participants were 65 years old.

The team of researchers was looking for traces of Vitamin D in the subjects’ bloodstream. The reason is that previous studies linked the lack of Vitamin D with a higher risk of developing nearsightedness later in life. Moreover, the scientists were also interested in the subjects’ diets, habits, educational levels, and medical histories. However, they were most interested in the amount of time the subjects have spent outdoors between nine p.m. to five p.m. in their teenage years.

Based on the scientists’ discoveries and the data gathered from the participants, it turns out that people who have exposed themselves to ultraviolet B radiation in the early years of life were less likely to develop nearsightedness later on in their mid-60s.

Furthermore, this study lines up perfectly with other previous investigations into the matter conducted back in 2015. However, as much as the ultraviolet B radiation exposure is linked to preventing nearsightedness from affecting the population in the future, the researchers did not find any clear evidence that the lack of Vitamin D has something to do with myopia.

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