Q&A: Dr Denize Atan, consultant senior lecturer in ophthalmology, University of Bristol

Given the latest findings, what advice should eye care professionals be offering children and students about myopia?

Dr Denize Atan Randomised controlled trials have shown that more time spent outdoors during childhood protects against the development of myopia. Children with myopia are also less likely to do physical activity, such as sports, but it is not thought that physical activity protects against myopia. Axial eye growth, which is generally larger in myopic individuals, occurs predominantly during the school years, and since levels of myopia tend to stabilise in adulthood, any interventions to halt or prevent myopia need to be delivered in childhood. Although reduced exposure to natural daylight may not be the sole mechanism to explain the causal relationship between education and myopia, based on the highest quality evidence available right now, the best recommendation is for children to spend more time outside.