The role of outdoor activity in the development of myopia in schoolchildren

The aim of our study was to examine whether outdoor activity influences the prevalence of myopia in schoolchildren.

5601 Polish students of elementary and secondary schools (2688 boys and 2913 girls), 6–18 years of age (mean 11.9 ±3.2 years) were examined. In every student cycloplegia after 1% tropicamide was performed. The mean spherical equivalent (SE) was calculated after examination of both eyes. Time spent on outdoor activity was evaluated based on a questionnaire. The obtained results were typed into an Excel spreadsheet and analyzed statistically using Statistica 10 software. Non-parametric tests were used due to the SE distribution being significantly different from normal distribution in the Kolmogorov–Smirnov test. The Spearman rank correlation coefficient (Rs) was used to evaluate the strength of the correlation between these variables. A p-value less than 0.05 was considered significant.

It has been established that with the increase in time spent on outdoor activity, the spherical equivalent of the examined students significantly increases, but the correlation is very weak (Rs = +0.036, p = 0.007).

Outdoor activity slightly reduces the prevalence of myopia in schoolchildren.