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More sun, less vision problems
Last reviewed: 02.07.2025
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A European team of specialists in one of the latest studies has established a connection between vision problems and the amount of ultraviolet radiation a person receives during their lifetime. Thanks to the large-scale work, scientists have managed to prove that the more time a child spends in the sun, the less often he or she encounters vision problems in adulthood.
Myopia or nearsightedness is becoming more and more common in the modern world, and this disease can also cause complications that are dangerous to vision. According to experts, myopia can develop due to a hereditary predisposition or an unfavorable environmental situation, but the disease can be prevented in a fairly simple way - by spending more time outdoors.
Scientists have not yet been able to fully understand how exactly ultraviolet light helps prevent vision problems, but at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, specialists have been able to understand a little about this kind of process. During their research, they noticed that sunlight has a beneficial effect on vision, especially ultraviolet rays. They used data from about 3,000 people who did not have any vision problems and about 400 people diagnosed with myopia.
All volunteers were over 65 years old, almost half of them were men. People were randomly selected from different cities in Europe to participate in the experiment. Before starting the work, the scientists tested all participants for visual acuity, the processes of refraction of light rays in the optical system of the eye, and took blood samples. After that, the scientists interviewed the volunteers and conducted a genetic analysis. During the survey, the scientists found out their education, attitude to alcohol and nicotine, diet and food preferences, diseases during life, and separately established the number of hours that the participants spent in the sun at different stages of their lives (in childhood, adolescence, adulthood).
Dr. Astrid Fletcher, who took part in the study, noted that it is possible to find out the amount of ultraviolet radiation a person has received over the years of their life. This will require the approximate amount of time a person spent outdoors and the region in which they live.
As a result, the scientists, having studied all the data of the participants, came to the conclusion that neither the level of vitamin D nor gene mutations are associated with the development of myopia. According to the data obtained, people who received high doses of ultraviolet radiation, especially in adolescence, were less likely to encounter vision problems, in particular, they suffered less from myopia. Based on the findings, the scientists recommend that people spend more time outdoors.
Not long ago, scientists in Australia found out that long-term use of aspirin can cause vision problems, in particular, it causes macular degeneration - damage to the retina, which leads to partial or complete loss of vision. The study was conducted for more than 10 years, during which time all participants underwent vision testing 4 times. According to the results, people who took aspirin more than once a week had much worse vision, compared to those who took this drug less often.
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