Kids glued to TV develop blurred vision

Is your child or grandchild glued to the TV, Internet or video game? Here's yet another reason to break that habit. A recent vision health study indicates that the rates of nearsightedness (myopia) in children are linked to time spent outdoors. The cases of myopia have become increasingly common in the United States and a correlation has been found between the amount of time that children are exposed to natural light and focusing on distant objects. Since the 1970's, the incidence of myopia in the United States and other countries has risen dramatically with more than 80 percent of the population in Asian countries being nearsighted. Researchers at the University of Cambridge conducted the study and determined that the chance of myopia dropped by two percent for each additional hour spent outside each week. Children in the study with normal or farsighted vision spent 3.7 more hours each week outdoors than the nearsighted children.* Elise Ervin Staff Writer