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Li D, Min S, Li X. Is Spending More Time Outdoors Able to Prevent and Control Myopia in Children and Adolescents? A Meta-Analysis. Ophthalmic Res 2024; 67:393-404. [PMID: 38710180 DOI: 10.1159/000539229] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2023] [Accepted: 04/29/2024] [Indexed: 05/08/2024]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Spending more time outdoors was treated as a safe and cost-effective method to prevent and control myopia. While prior research has established an inverse association between outdoor time and the risk of myopia onset, the effect of increasing outdoor time in delaying the progression of myopia remains a subject of debate. The present meta-analysis aimed to assess the relationship between outdoor time and the myopia onset, and further examine whether there is a dose-response relationship between outdoor time and the risk of myopia onset. Meanwhile, perform whether the outdoor time is related to delaying the progression of myopia. METHODS Studies were retrieved from PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Medline, and the Cochrane Database, spanning from their inception to February 2023. Three cohort studies and 5 prospective intervention studies were included, with a total of 12,922 participants aged 6-16 years. RESULTS Comparing the highest with the lowest exposure levels of time spent outdoors, the highest outdoor time was strongly associated with a reduced risk of myopia onset (odds ratio [OR]: 0.53; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.34, 0.82). A nonlinear dose-response relationship was found between outdoor time and myopia onset risk. Compared to 3.5 h of outdoor time per week, an increase to 7, 16.3, and 27 h per week corresponded with a respective reduction in the risk of myopia onset by 20%, 53%, and 69%. Among children and adolescents who were not myopic, spending more time outdoors significantly slowed down the speed of change in spherical equivalent refractive (weighted mean difference [WMD] = 0.10D, 95% CI: 0.07, 0.14) and axial length (WMD = -0.05 mm, 95% CI: -0.06, -0.03). Among children and adolescents who were already myopic, spending more time outdoors did not slow myopia progression. CONCLUSIONS Overall, spending more time outdoors can prevent the onset of myopia, but it does not seem to slow its progression. Further studies are needed to better understand these trends.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dan Li
- School of Physical Education, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, China
| | - Sicheng Min
- School of Physical Education, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, China
| | - Xianxiong Li
- School of Physical Education, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, China
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Biswas S, El Kareh A, Qureshi M, Lee DMX, Sun CH, Lam JSH, Saw SM, Najjar RP. The influence of the environment and lifestyle on myopia. J Physiol Anthropol 2024; 43:7. [PMID: 38297353 PMCID: PMC10829372 DOI: 10.1186/s40101-024-00354-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2023] [Accepted: 01/05/2024] [Indexed: 02/02/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Myopia, commonly known as near-sightedness, has emerged as a global epidemic, impacting almost one in three individuals across the world. The increasing prevalence of myopia during early childhood has heightened the risk of developing high myopia and related sight-threatening eye conditions in adulthood. This surge in myopia rates, occurring within a relatively stable genetic framework, underscores the profound influence of environmental and lifestyle factors on this condition. In this comprehensive narrative review, we shed light on both established and potential environmental and lifestyle contributors that affect the development and progression of myopia. MAIN BODY Epidemiological and interventional research has consistently revealed a compelling connection between increased outdoor time and a decreased risk of myopia in children. This protective effect may primarily be attributed to exposure to the characteristics of natural light (i.e., sunlight) and the release of retinal dopamine. Conversely, irrespective of outdoor time, excessive engagement in near work can further worsen the onset of myopia. While the exact mechanisms behind this exacerbation are not fully comprehended, it appears to involve shifts in relative peripheral refraction, the overstimulation of accommodation, or a complex interplay of these factors, leading to issues like retinal image defocus, blur, and chromatic aberration. Other potential factors like the spatial frequency of the visual environment, circadian rhythm, sleep, nutrition, smoking, socio-economic status, and education have debatable independent influences on myopia development. CONCLUSION The environment exerts a significant influence on the development and progression of myopia. Improving the modifiable key environmental predictors like time spent outdoors and engagement in near work can prevent or slow the progression of myopia. The intricate connections between lifestyle and environmental factors often obscure research findings, making it challenging to disentangle their individual effects. This complexity underscores the necessity for prospective studies that employ objective assessments, such as quantifying light exposure and near work, among others. These studies are crucial for gaining a more comprehensive understanding of how various environmental factors can be modified to prevent or slow the progression of myopia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sayantan Biswas
- School of Optometry, College of Health and Life Sciences, Aston University, Birmingham, UK
| | - Antonio El Kareh
- Faculty of Medical Sciences, Lebanese University, Hadath, Lebanon
| | - Mariyem Qureshi
- School of Optometry, College of Health and Life Sciences, Aston University, Birmingham, UK
| | | | - Chen-Hsin Sun
- Department of Ophthalmology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Janice S H Lam
- Department of Ophthalmology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Seang-Mei Saw
- Singapore Eye Research Institute, Singapore, Singapore
- Ophthalmology and Visual Science Academic Clinical Program, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore, Singapore
- Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Raymond P Najjar
- Department of Ophthalmology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.
- Singapore Eye Research Institute, Singapore, Singapore.
- Ophthalmology and Visual Science Academic Clinical Program, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore, Singapore.
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Design and Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.
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Shneor E, Gordon-Shaag A, Doron R, Benoit JS, Ostrin LA. Utility of the Actiwatch Spectrum Plus for detecting the outdoor environment and physical activity in children. JOURNAL OF OPTOMETRY 2024; 17:100483. [PMID: 37797567 PMCID: PMC10551654 DOI: 10.1016/j.optom.2023.100483] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2023] [Revised: 05/24/2023] [Accepted: 06/25/2023] [Indexed: 10/07/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE To describe the performance of the Actiwatch Spectrum Plus (Philips, Respironics) for determining real world indoor and outdoor environments and physical activity in children. METHODS Children wore the device while performing 10 different activities, ranging from sedentary to vigorous physical-activity, and under different indoor and outdoor conditions. Repeated measures ANOVA was implemented via mixed effects modeling to determine illuminance (lux) and physical activity (counts per 15 s, CP15) across conditions. Receiver operator characteristics (ROC) analysis assessed the accuracy to detect indoor versus outdoor settings. RESULTS Illuminance was found to be statistically different across indoor (793 ± 348 lux) and outdoor (4,413 ± 518 lux) conditions (P<.0001), with excellent diagnostic accuracy to detect indoor versus outdoor settings (Area under the ROC Curve, AUC 0.94); 1088 lux was identified as the optimal threshold for outdoor illuminance (sensitivity: 93.0%; specificity: 85.0%). Using published activity ranges, we found that when children were sitting, 94% of the physical-activity readings were classified as sedentary or light. When children were walking, 88% of readings were classified as light, and when children were running, 77% of readings were classified as moderate or vigorous. CONCLUSION The Actiwatch Spectrum Plus performed well during real world activities in children, showing excellent diagnostic accuracy at 1088 lux as a threshold to detect indoor versus outdoor environments and in categorizing physical activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Einat Shneor
- Department of Optometry, Hadassah Academic College, Jerusalem 9101001, Israel.
| | - Ariela Gordon-Shaag
- Department of Optometry, Hadassah Academic College, Jerusalem 9101001, Israel
| | - Ravid Doron
- Department of Optometry, Hadassah Academic College, Jerusalem 9101001, Israel
| | - Julia S Benoit
- College of Optometry, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77004, USA; Texas Institute for Measurement, Evaluation, and Statistics, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77004, USA
| | - Lisa A Ostrin
- College of Optometry, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77004, USA
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He X, Wang J, Zhu Z, Xiang K, Zhang X, Zhang B, Chen J, Yang J, Du L, Niu C, Leng M, Huang J, Liu K, Zou H, He M, Xu X. Effect of Repeated Low-level Red Light on Myopia Prevention Among Children in China With Premyopia: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Netw Open 2023; 6:e239612. [PMID: 37099298 PMCID: PMC10134010 DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.9612] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2023] [Accepted: 03/09/2023] [Indexed: 04/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Importance Myopia is a global concern, but effective prevention measures remain limited. Premyopia is a refractive state in which children are at higher risk of myopia, meriting preventive interventions. Objective To assess the efficacy and safety of a repeated low-level red-light (RLRL) intervention in preventing incident myopia among children with premyopia. Design, Setting, and Participants This was a 12-month, parallel-group, school-based randomized clinical trial conducted in 10 primary schools in Shanghai, China. A total of 139 children with premyopia (defined as cycloplegic spherical equivalence refraction [SER] of -0.50 to 0.50 diopter [D] in the more myopic eye and having at least 1 parent with SER ≤-3.00 D) in grades 1 to 4 were enrolled between April 1, 2021, and June 30, 2021; the trial was completed August 31, 2022. Interventions Children were randomly assigned to 2 groups after grade stratification. Children in the intervention group received RLRL therapy twice per day, 5 days per week, with each session lasting 3 minutes. The intervention was conducted at school during semesters and at home during winter and summer vacations. Children in the control group continued usual activities. Main Outcomes and Measures The primary outcome was the 12-month incidence rate of myopia (defined as SER ≤-0.50 D). Secondary outcomes included the changes in SER, axial length, vision function, and optical coherence tomography scan results over 12 months. Data from the more myopic eyes were analyzed. Outcomes were analyzed by means of an intention-to-treat method and per-protocol method. The intention-to-treat analysis included participants in both groups at baseline, while the per-protocol analysis included participants in the control group and those in the intervention group who were able to continue the intervention without interruption by the COVID-19 pandemic. Results There were 139 children (mean [SD] age, 8.3 [1.1] years; 71 boys [51.1%]) in the intervention group and 139 children (mean [SD] age, 8.3 [1.1] years; 68 boys [48.9%]) in the control group. The 12-month incidence of myopia was 40.8% (49 of 120) in the intervention group and 61.3% (68 of 111) in the control group, a relative 33.4% reduction in incidence. For children in the intervention group who did not have treatment interruption secondary to the COVID-19 pandemic, the incidence was 28.1% (9 of 32), a relative 54.1% reduction in incidence. The RLRL intervention significantly reduced the myopic shifts in terms of axial length and SER compared with the control group (mean [SD] axial length, 0.30 [0.27] mm vs 0.47 [0.25] mm; difference, 0.17 mm [95% CI, 0.11-0.23 mm]; mean [SD] SER, -0.35 [0.54] D vs -0.76 [0.60] D; difference, -0.41 D [95% CI, -0.56 to -0.26 D]). No visual acuity or structural damage was noted on optical coherence tomography scans in the intervention group. Conclusions and Relevance In this randomized clinical trial, RLRL therapy was a novel and effective intervention for myopia prevention, with good user acceptability and up to 54.1% reduction in incident myopia within 12 months among children with premyopia. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04825769.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiangui He
- Department of Clinical Research, Shanghai Eye Disease Prevention and Treatment Center, Shanghai Eye Hospital, Shanghai Vision Health Center and Shanghai Children Myopia Institute, Shanghai, China
- Department of Ophthalmology, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, National Clinical Research Center for Eye Diseases, Shanghai Center of Eye Shanghai Key Laboratory of Ocular Fundus Diseases, Engineering Center for Visual Science and Photomedicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Jingjing Wang
- Department of Clinical Research, Shanghai Eye Disease Prevention and Treatment Center, Shanghai Eye Hospital, Shanghai Vision Health Center and Shanghai Children Myopia Institute, Shanghai, China
| | - Zhuoting Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
- Centre for Eye Research Australia, Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Division of Ophthalmology, Department of Surgery, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Kaidi Xiang
- Department of Ophthalmology, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, National Clinical Research Center for Eye Diseases, Shanghai Center of Eye Shanghai Key Laboratory of Ocular Fundus Diseases, Engineering Center for Visual Science and Photomedicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Xinzi Zhang
- Department of Ophthalmology, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, National Clinical Research Center for Eye Diseases, Shanghai Center of Eye Shanghai Key Laboratory of Ocular Fundus Diseases, Engineering Center for Visual Science and Photomedicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Bo Zhang
- Department of Clinical Research, Shanghai Eye Disease Prevention and Treatment Center, Shanghai Eye Hospital, Shanghai Vision Health Center and Shanghai Children Myopia Institute, Shanghai, China
| | - Jun Chen
- Department of Clinical Research, Shanghai Eye Disease Prevention and Treatment Center, Shanghai Eye Hospital, Shanghai Vision Health Center and Shanghai Children Myopia Institute, Shanghai, China
| | - Jinliuxing Yang
- Department of Clinical Research, Shanghai Eye Disease Prevention and Treatment Center, Shanghai Eye Hospital, Shanghai Vision Health Center and Shanghai Children Myopia Institute, Shanghai, China
| | - Linlin Du
- Department of Clinical Research, Shanghai Eye Disease Prevention and Treatment Center, Shanghai Eye Hospital, Shanghai Vision Health Center and Shanghai Children Myopia Institute, Shanghai, China
| | - Chunjin Niu
- Department of Ophthalmology Prevention, Changning Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Shanghai, China
| | - Mei Leng
- Department of Teaching and Research, Changning Institute of Education, Shanghai, China
| | - Jiannan Huang
- Department of Clinical Research, Shanghai Eye Disease Prevention and Treatment Center, Shanghai Eye Hospital, Shanghai Vision Health Center and Shanghai Children Myopia Institute, Shanghai, China
| | - Kun Liu
- Department of Ophthalmology, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, National Clinical Research Center for Eye Diseases, Shanghai Center of Eye Shanghai Key Laboratory of Ocular Fundus Diseases, Engineering Center for Visual Science and Photomedicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Haidong Zou
- Department of Clinical Research, Shanghai Eye Disease Prevention and Treatment Center, Shanghai Eye Hospital, Shanghai Vision Health Center and Shanghai Children Myopia Institute, Shanghai, China
- Department of Ophthalmology, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, National Clinical Research Center for Eye Diseases, Shanghai Center of Eye Shanghai Key Laboratory of Ocular Fundus Diseases, Engineering Center for Visual Science and Photomedicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Mingguang He
- State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
- Centre for Eye Research Australia, Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Division of Ophthalmology, Department of Surgery, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Xun Xu
- Department of Clinical Research, Shanghai Eye Disease Prevention and Treatment Center, Shanghai Eye Hospital, Shanghai Vision Health Center and Shanghai Children Myopia Institute, Shanghai, China
- Department of Ophthalmology, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, National Clinical Research Center for Eye Diseases, Shanghai Center of Eye Shanghai Key Laboratory of Ocular Fundus Diseases, Engineering Center for Visual Science and Photomedicine, Shanghai, China
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