Time spent outdoors in childhood is associated with reduced risk of myopia as an adult

G Lingham; S Yazar; RM Lucas; E Milne; AW Hewitt; CJ Hammond; S MacGregor; KA Rose; FK Chen; M He; JA Guggenheim; MW Clarke; SM Saw; C Williams; MT Coroneo; L Straker; DA Mackey

Journal article

Time spent outdoors in childhood is associated with reduced risk of myopia as an adult

G Lingham, S Yazar, RM Lucas, E Milne, AW Hewitt, CJ Hammond, S MacGregor, KA Rose, FK Chen, M He, JA Guggenheim, MW Clarke, SM Saw, C Williams, MT Coroneo, L Straker, DA Mackey

Scientific Reports | NATURE PORTFOLIO | Published : 2021

DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-85825-y

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Abstract

Myopia (near-sightedness) is an important public health issue. Spending more time outdoors can prevent myopia but the long-term association between this exposure and myopia has not been well characterised. We investigated the relationship between time spent outdoors in childhood, adolescence and young adulthood and risk of myopia in young adulthood. The Kidskin Young Adult Myopia Study (KYAMS) was a follow-up of the Kidskin Study, a sun exposure-intervention study of 1776 children aged 6–12 years. Myopia status was assessed in 303 (17.6%) KYAMS participants (aged 25–30 years) and several subjective and objective measures of time spent outdoors were collected in childhood (8–12 years) and adu..

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University of Melbourne Researchers

Ming He Author

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Awarded by National Health and Medical Research Council

Funding Acknowledgements

The authors thank the participants of the Kidskin Study and their families. The Kidskin Young Adult Myopia Study was supported by Perpetual Impact Philanthropy (IPAP2015/0230) and the National Health and Medical Research Council (1121979). The Kidskin Study was supported by the National Health and Medical Research Council (954601, 110221, 209057) and by the Cancer Foundation of Western Australia. GL receives financial support through an Australian Government Research Training Program Scholarship.