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Air pollution may be harming children\u2019s eyesight with cleaner air helping to protect and even improve their vision – especially in younger children, a new study reveals.<\/p>\n
Researchers have discovered that exposure to lower levels of air pollutants – specifically nitrogen dioxide (NO\u2082) and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) – is associated with how well children can see without glasses.<\/p>\n
Their findings suggest that reducing exposure to these pollutants could help slow the progression of myopia or short-sightedness – when distant objects appear blurry. The condition is becoming more common in children, especially in East Asia.<\/p>\n
Publishing their findings in\u00a0PNAS Nexus, the experts note that, while genetics and lifestyle factors – such as screen time on electronic devices – play a major part in whether children have myopia, environmental factors such as air pollution also matter.<\/p>\n
Using advanced machine learning techniques, the team examined how environmental, genetic, and lifestyle factors interact to influence children\u2019s vision development. The researchers discovered that children who lived in areas with cleaner air had better vision, after accounting for other factors.<\/p>\n
They found that\u00a0primary school students\u00a0are especially sensitive to air pollution. These younger children showed the greatest improvements in uncorrected visual acuity when exposed to cleaner air.<\/p>\n
In contrast, older students and those with high myopia were less affected by environmental changes, with their vision more strongly influenced by genetic factors – suggesting that early action\u2014before vision problems become severe\u2014can make a real difference.<\/p>\n
“While genetics and screen time are long recognised as contributors to childhood myopia, this study is among the first to isolate air pollution as a\u00a0meaningful and modifiable risk factor,” said\u00a0Zongbo Shi, from the University of Birmingham, who co-supervised this study.\u00a0\u201cClean air isn\u2019t just about respiratory health\u2014it\u2019s about visual health too. Our results show that improving air quality could be a valuable strategic intervention to protect children\u2019s eyesight, especially during their most vulnerable developmental years.\u201d<\/p>\n
Polluted air can cause inflammation and stress in the eyes, reduce sunlight exposure – which is important for healthy eye development, and trigger chemical changes in the eye that lead to it changing shape, causing myopia.<\/p>\n
This study suggests that installing air purifiers in classrooms, creating \u201cclean-air zones\u201d around schools to reduce traffic pollution, and closing streets to cars during school drop-off and pick-up times have the potential to improve eye health because children spend a lot of time at school.<\/p>\n
\u201cMyopia is on the rise globally, and it can lead to serious eye problems later in life. While we can\u2019t change a child\u2019s genes, we can improve their environment. If we act early\u2014before severe myopia sets in\u2014we can make a real difference,” said\u00a0Yuqing Dai, from the University of Birmingham.<\/p>\n