The outdoors can protect kids from myopia

Shortsightedness or myopia, a condition where distant objects appear blurry while close objects appear normal, is a visual defect that is becoming increasingly serious among Chinese children. The estimated myopia rate in China is 31 percent. However, among children and teenagers it is much higher.

Since myopia can have health-damaging consequences if left uncorrected, it must be dealt with more effectively by parents as well as health authorities.

Myopia, however, is not a China-specific issue; it has a global impact. According to researchers, rates of myopia have doubled, even tripled, in most East Asian countries over the past 40 years. Although Singapore is considered to have the highest rate in the world, with about 80 percent of the population affected by it, the prevalence of myopia among Indian people is only 6.9 percent.