Many children and young people are affected by myopia or shortsightedness. The condition has more than doubled in the West over the past 50 years. Researchers from Ulster University have discovered that environmental factors may be involved such as the time children spend playing outdoors.

Researchers suggest that the effect of outdoor light on the eyes could be involved but there is also a need to factor in the less time spent outdoors with a higher chance of developing myopia. Being outside in the light can affect Vitamin D and hormones while being outside in the light can change these levels within the body.

The data looked at more than 1,000 children over six years and this brought about crucial information as to how children’s eyes are growing and changing in the 21st century.

The Northern Ireland Childhood Errors of Refraction (NICER) study was jointly funded by the College of Optometrists and Ulster University and published in PLOS One.

Optometrists agree that the research can provide crucial information that early intervention will slow down the further increases in myopia. The tests in children showed those who were most at risk of myopia.

What are the causes of poor eyesight in children?

One of the biggest causes of poor eyesight and children needing glasses is created in pregnancy. Studies show that the mother’s diet plays a crucial role in the developing fetus and it is created by the mother eating a high starch diet (grains, cereals, breads, potatoes, pasta etc) that can increase the blood glucose levels to dangerous levels. For more information about the importance diet plays in the health of the developing child, please see Improving Fertility in 30 Days by Robert Redfern for help and advice in having a healthy pregnancy.

Eating the Standard Western diet that includes many starches, high sugary foods and other processed junk can all contribute towards inflammation in the body, including the eyes. A lack of essential nutrients within your diet and making poor lifestyle choices can also increase inflammation and exacerbate eye diseases, increasing the risk of developing conditions such as myopia.

The importance of Vitamin D in your diet for good eye health can not be underplayed. Vitamin D also plays an essential role in supporting the immune system, healthy hormonal balance and normal cell production. Vitamin D3 is a nutrient that can support eye health and even prevent it from deteriorating according to various studies.

A good suggestion to get more Vitamin D3 into your diet is to take this particular Vitamin D3 ‘Sunshine in a Capsule’ supplement from Good Health Naturally as it contains pure 5000IU of Vitamin D3. Alternatively, try the Vitamin D3/K2 Spray as this is a sublingual formula containing 1000IU of Vitamin D3 and 100mcg of Vitamin K2.