A lack of natural light is putting kids at risk of going blind, says ophthalmologist

"Children must be encouraged to put down their mobile devices and get outside."

Kids are at risk of becoming short-sighted or even going blind because a lack of exposure to natural light, an opthalmologist has warned. Many don't spend enough time outdoors and so are missing out on the benefit of sunlight, which could lead to them developing problems with their eyesight. That's according to David Allamby of the Focus Clinic in London. Myopia, or shortsightedness, is a major threat to many children's eyesight as it can lead to blindness, he told the Daily Mail. He recommends that children spend a minimum of 90 minutes outdoors each day to prevent becoming short-sighted. "Action is needed now – children must be encouraged to put down their mobile devices and get outside and play. "This generation have double the amount of short-sightedness than their parents or grandparents did, and high degrees of myopia is a potentially blinding condition." His warning comes as figures from the UK Office for National Statistic reveals that children spend just 19 minutes on average outdoors each day. Similarly, a 2016 study by Ulster University found that children now are twice as likely to be shortsighted as they were 50 years ago. That research also linked increased screen time with myopia in kids.