The researchers found that, per week, myopic children spent more time studying and reading for pleasure and less time playing sports than non-myopic children. Myopic children also scored higher on a test of basic reading and language skills than did children with normal vision.
The nearsighted children spent about the same amount of time watching television and playing video games in a week as did children with normal vision, said Donald Mutti, the studys lead author and an associate professor of optometry at Ohio State University.
There was a definite link between paper-based pursuits like studying and reading and myopia, he said. We didnt find that link for watching TV or using a computer.
However, the results dont mean that parents of myopic children should encourage their children to spend less time reading or studying, because most of the risk for developing myopia is based on whether a child has zero, one or two myopic parents.
The study appears in a recent issue of the journal Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science.
The study inclu
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Contact: Donald Mutti
Mutti.2@osu.edu
614-297-7057
Ohio State University
14-Mar-2003