In Australia, where children spend a lot of time outdoors, myopia is less common<\/p>\n
Sydney<\/strong><\/p>\n Staying outdoors for at least two hours a day may drastically reduce the chance of developing myopia, Australian researchers suggest. Limited exposure to sunlight appears to be a key cause of the myopia epidemic in Asia.<\/p>\n The study does not refute suspicions that reading, TV and computers increase the risk of myopia, but it does highlight sunlight as an important factor in the normal development of the eyes (myopia occurs when the eye loses its normal spherical shape and becomes oval, so that the image is not focused exactly on the retina).<\/p>\n Researchers at the Australian Research Council were curious to know why myopia is at least four times rarer in Australian children than in children living in East Asia, where the disease has reached epidemic proportions.<\/p>\n In Singapore, for example, nine out of ten high school graduates wear glasses, while in Australia, the figure is only 20%. The new comparative study found that 30% of 6 and 7 year olds in Singapore already have myopia, compared to just 1.3% for the same age group in Australia.<\/p>\n Myopia is statistically more common in people with higher education, probably because focusing on books from a short distance strains the eyes. But this factor is not enough to explain the difference between Asia and Australia. Ethnicity was also ruled out as a significant factor, as myopia was not found to be more common in children of Chinese origin living in Australia.<\/p>\n According to Agence France-Presse, the only significant difference between the two groups was the amount of time the children spent outdoors: The average child in Australia spends two hours a day playing in the sunshine, while in Singapore the equivalent time is just 20 minutes.<\/p>\n Education appears to be an important factor leading to myopia, but exposure to sunlight puts a brake on this trend, said Professor Ian Morgan, the lead researcher.<\/p>\n The announcement does not specify whether the study has been accepted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u03a3\u03c4\u03b7\u03bd \u0391\u03c5\u03c3\u03c4\u03c1\u03b1\u03bb\u03af\u03b1, \u03cc\u03c0\u03bf\u03c5 \u03c4\u03b1 \u03c0\u03b1\u03b9\u03b4\u03b9\u03ac \u03bc\u03ad\u03bd\u03bf\u03c5\u03bd \u03c0\u03bf\u03bb\u03cd \u03c7\u03c1\u03cc\u03bd\u03bf \u03c3\u03b5 \u03b5\u03be\u03c9\u03c4\u03b5\u03c1\u03b9\u03ba\u03bf\u03cd\u03c2 \u03c7\u03ce\u03c1\u03bf\u03c5\u03c2, \u03b7 \u03bc\u03c5\u03c9\u03c0\u03af\u03b1 \u03b5\u03af\u03bd\u03b1\u03b9 \u03c3\u03c0\u03b1\u03bd\u03b9\u03cc\u03c4\u03b5\u03c1\u03b7 \u03a3\u03af\u03b4\u03bd\u03b5\u03ca \u0397 \u03c0\u03b1\u03c1\u03b1\u03bc\u03bf\u03bd\u03ae \u03c3\u03b5 \u03b5\u03be\u03c9\u03c4\u03b5\u03c1\u03b9\u03ba\u03bf\u03cd\u03c2 \u03c7\u03ce\u03c1\u03bf\u03c5\u03c2 \u03b3\u03b9\u03b1 \u03c4\u03bf\u03c5\u03bb\u03ac\u03c7\u03b9\u03c3\u03c4\u03bf\u03bd \u03b4\u03cd\u03bf \u03ce\u03c1\u03b5\u03c2 \u03c4\u03b7\u03bd \u03b7\u03bc\u03ad\u03c1\u03b1 \u03af\u03c3\u03c9\u03c2 \u03c0\u03b5\u03c1\u03b9\u03bf\u03c1\u03af\u03b6\u03b5\u03b9 \u03b4\u03c1\u03b1\u03c3\u03c4\u03b9\u03ba\u03ac \u03c4\u03b7\u03bd \u03c0\u03b9\u03b8\u03b1\u03bd\u03cc\u03c4\u03b7\u03c4\u03b1 \u03b5\u03bc\u03c6\u03ac\u03bd\u03b9\u03c3\u03b7\u03c2 \u03bc\u03c5\u03c9\u03c0\u03af\u03b1\u03c2, \u03b5\u03ba\u03c4\u03b9\u03bc\u03bf\u03cd\u03bd \u0391\u03c5\u03c3\u03c4\u03c1\u03b1\u03bb\u03bf\u03af \u03b5\u03c1\u03b5\u03c5\u03bd\u03b7\u03c4\u03ad\u03c2. \u0397 \u03c0\u03b5\u03c1\u03b9\u03bf\u03c1\u03b9\u03c3\u03bc\u03ad\u03bd\u03b7 \u03ad\u03ba\u03b8\u03b5\u03c3\u03b7 \u03c3\u03c4\u03bf \u03b7\u03bb\u03b9\u03b1\u03ba\u03cc \u03c6\u03c9\u03c2 \u03c6\u03b1\u03af\u03bd\u03b5\u03c4\u03b1\u03b9 \u03cc\u03c4\u03b9 \u03b5\u03af\u03bd\u03b1\u03b9 \u03b2\u03b1\u03c3\u03b9\u03ba\u03ae \u03b1\u03b9\u03c4\u03af\u03b1 \u03b3\u03b9\u03b1 \u03c4\u03b7\u03bd \u03b5\u03c0\u03b9\u03b4\u03b7\u03bc\u03af\u03b1 \u03bc\u03c5\u03c9\u03c0\u03af\u03b1\u03c2 \u03c3\u03c4\u03b7 \u0391\u03c3\u03af\u03b1. \u0397 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":216,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1702","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-5"],"yoast_head":"