By CHIKA YAMAMOTO/ Staff Writer
August 1, 2024 at 16:34 JST
The education ministry building in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward (Asahi Shimbun file photo)
Playing outdoors for at least 90 minutes a day can protect children’s eyesight, an education ministry survey has found.
Children who spent at least 1.5 hours outdoors on weekdays and at least two hours on weekends were less likely to develop vision problems than those who spent less than 30 minutes outdoors, according to the study published on July 31.
The ministry monitored approximately 5,200 elementary and junior high school students across nine prefectures in the three-year study, which began in fiscal 2021.
It found that children's overall vision is declining.
The percentage of students with vision worse than 0.3, or approximately 20/60, increased from 12.8 percent in fiscal 2021 to 20.9 percent in fiscal 2023. Vision loss worsened as students got older.
The findings have prompted the ministry to encourage children to spend as much time outdoors as possible, while guarding against heatstroke during the hot summer months.
The ministry hasn't explained how increased outdoor time protects eyesight, but the findings suggest bright sunlight may help prevent myopia.
To raise awareness about the importance of eye health, the ministry will distribute leaflets summarizing the study's findings to educational boards nationwide.
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