Outdoors key to better eyesight

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Australian researchers say a child's eyesight benefits from being outdoors. [Reuters]

Last Updated: Tue, 6 Jan 2009 15:19:00 +1100

Researchers in Australia have discovered that playing outdoors can help protect children from becoming short-sighted.

A study by the Australia Research Council's Centre of Excellence in Vision Science compared ethnic Chinese Australian children with children in Singapore.

Nearly a third of Singaporean six-year-olds need glasses but they're worn by just three per cent of ethnic Chinese children living in Australia.

The lead researcher, Professor Ian Morgan has told Radio Australia's Connect Asia program, the main problem lies with children spending too much time studying and reading indoors.

"If the pattern a child adopts is to go to school, come home, do their homework and then watch television, then that's a bad pattern. But it's not the TV itself - it's preventing the kids getting outside that seems to be the problem," Professor Morgan said.