Children may be less likely to be short-sighted if they spend more time outdoors, the results of a new study indicate.

Myopia is the medical term used to describe a condition which allows people to clearly see objects which are up close to them, but not those at a distance. It is also known as near-sightedness or short-sightedness.

According to UK researchers, the condition is much more common in many countries today than it was in the 1970s. They decided to investigate this further.

They analysed eight studies on this topic, involving over 10,000 children and teenagers, and found that for each additional hour spent outside each week, the risk of developing myopia fell by 2%.

Overall, short-sighted children were found to spend almost four hours less outside each week compared to those with normal vision and those who were far-sighted.

The team from the University of Cambridge said that the reasons for this are still unclear. However, they noted that the protective effect appeared to be related to just being outside, as opposed to performing a specific activities while outdoors.

In fact, two of the studies looked at whether children who spend more time outdoors spend less time doing things which require their short sight, such as studying or playing video games. However, no link between the two was found.

"Increasing children's outdoor time could be a simple and cost-effective measure with important benefits for their vision and general health," the researchers suggested.

However, they acknowledged that more research is needed if recommendations are to be made.

"Future studies will help us understand which factors, such as increased use of distance vision, reduced use of near vision, natural ultra violet (UV) light exposure or physical activity are most important," they added.

Details of these findings were presented at the 115th annual meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology in Florida.

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