Time outdoors may prevent myopia in children

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By Olivia Bowthorpe

Children should be encouraged to spend time outdoors, especially on brighter days, to prevent shortsightedness, say researchers from China.

Continuous outdoor exposure of at least 15 minutes on overcast or brighter days was associated with less myopia, reported Dr Xun Xu, director of the national clinical research centre for eye diseases, Shanghai, China, and colleagues.