Reading and Short-sightedness - correlation is not causation

Sunglight Could Stop Short-sightedness is about a study which found that reading or using the computer may not matter as much for developing myopia (short-sightedness) as just spending time outdoors. The article starts with:

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Australian scientists from The Vision Centre say there is persuasive evidence that increased exposure to daylight can prevent the permanent short-sightedness and eye damage which now afflicts up to 80-90 per cent of children in cities in East Asia such as Singapore and Hong Kong.
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Professor Ian Morgan explains:

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“Looking at children of Chinese origin, we found only 3 per cent of those in Sydney suffered from myopia, compared with 30 per cent in Singapore, where there is an epidemic. Yet, if anything, the children of Chinese origin in Sydney read more than those in Singapore. This clearly suggests that myopia was triggered by something in the environment, rather than the genes. The critical factor seemed to be the fact that the children in Singapore spent much less time outdoors.”
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Another reason to let your children play outside.


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