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From the "news to make you cross-eyed" category.

At the 115th annual meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, they report that two separate studies suggest::

1) "A new analysis of recent eye health studies shows that more time spent outdoors is related to reduced rates of nearsightedness."

2) "Correction of amblyopia, also called 'lazy eye,' can be achieved in many older children if they stick to a regimen that includes playing video games."

A press release for the former says researchers "concluded that for each additional hour spent outdoors per week, the chance of myopia dropped by approximately two percent. Nearsighted children spend on average 3.7 fewer hours per week outdoors than those who either had normal vision or were farsighted." And it didn't much matter what you did as long as you were outdoors.

A press release for the second said different lazy eye treatment regimens were tried with four separate groups, one of which played at least one-hour of video games a day using only the the weaker eye. "Significant gains" were seen in the vid-playing group and in a group that took a supplement believed to improve brain function.

I can't find anything that says whether they tried having kids play Xbox outside or play outdoor video games in their living rooms ..

 

The press releases, if you want to read them:

More Time Outdoors May Reduce Kids’ Risk for Nearsightedness

ORLANDO, Fla. –October 24, 2011– A new analysis of recent eye health studies shows that more time spent outdoors is related to reduced rates of nearsightedness, also known as myopia, in children and adolescents. Myopia is much more common today in the United States and many other countries than it was in the 1970s. In parts of Asia, more than 80 percent of the population is nearsighted. The analysis suggests that more exposure to natural light and/or time spent looking at distant objects may be key factors. Today at the 115th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology Dr. Anthony Khawaja of the University of Cambridge, will present a summary analysis of the evidence. The analysis was led by Dr. Justin Sherwin of the University of Cambridge.

The data included in the analysis was drawn from eight carefully selected studies on outdoor time and myopia in children and adolescents, representing 10,400 participants in total. Dr. Sherwin’s team concluded that for each additional hour spent outdoors per week, the chance of myopia dropped by approximately two percent. Nearsighted children spent on average 3.7 fewer hours per week outdoors than those who either had normal vision or were farsighted.

Though the reasons aren’t yet clear, the protective effect appears to result from simply being outdoors rather than performing a specific activity. Two of the eight studies examined whether children who spent more time outdoors were also those who spent less time performing near work, such as playing computer games or studying, but no such relationship was found in either study. The amount of time spent on near work is of interest to researchers as another potential cause for the recent uptick in nearsightedness.

“Increasing children’s outdoor time could be a simple and cost-effective measure with important benefits for their vision and general health” said Dr. Khawaja. “If we want to make clear recommendations, however, we’ll need more precise data. Future, prospective studies will help us understand which factors, such as increased use of distance vision, reduced use of near vision, natural ultra violet light exposure or physical activity, are most important.”

Another question, Dr. Khawaja considered is whether boosting outdoor time might stop nearsightedness from getting worse. He cited a recent Chinese study, not included in Dr. Sherwin’s analysis, of 80 nearsighted children between the ages of 7 and 11. Forty of them were assigned to spend less than 30 hours on near work and more than 14 hours on outdoor time per week. At the end of the two-year study, children in the intervention group were less nearsighted on average than the 40 control group children who did not follow the special schedule.

                                 

 

Video Games Used in New Treatment that May Fix “Lazy Eye” in Older Children

ORLANDO, Fla. -- October 23, 2011 -- A new study conducted in an eye clinic in India found that correction of amblyopia, also called “lazy eye,” can be achieved in many older children, if they stick to a regimen that includes playing video games along with standard amblyopia treatment. Today at the 115th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, Dr. Somen Ghosh will report on the approaches that allowed about a third of his study participants, who were between 10 and 18 years old, to make significant vision gains.

By the end of the one year study, nearly 30 percent of the 100 participants achieved significant vision gains. About 60 percent showed at least some improvement. Significant gains were more likely in children who participated in Groups 3 or 4 of the four treatment regimens. Treatment Group 3 completed daily video game practice and Group 4 took the supplement citicoline, which is associated with improved brain function. Improvement was more likely in children younger than age 14 than in those 14 and older.

The prevailing wisdom has been that if amblyopia is not diagnosed and corrected before a child reaches school age, it is difficult or impossible to correct. But recently the United States-based Pediatric Eye Disease Investigation Group (PEDIG) reported significant vision gains in 27 percent of older children in a study funded by the National Eye Institute. This report motivated Dr. Ghosh to test new approaches to learn what might be particularly effective in this age group.

His study was divided into four treatment groups. Students in all groups followed a basic treatment plan that required them to wear eyeglasses that blocked the stronger eye for at least two hours a day, during which time they practiced exercises using the weaker eye. This “patching” technique is a standard amblyopia treatment that works by making the weaker eye work harder. Group one followed only the basic plan and served as the control group, while groups two, three and four received additional treatments:

   Group 2 took a supplement that contained micronutrients considered important to good vision

    Group 3 played at least one hour of video games daily using only the weaker eye

    Group 4 took the supplement citicoline, which is associated with improved brain function

Saurav Sen, a 16 year old graduate of Dr. Ghosh’s clinic, received a second chance to achieve good vision. At age 13 Sen began to experience serious vision problems, which negatively impacted his school work. Other doctors had told him it was too late to correct his amblyopia. He completed the regimen assigned to treatment Group 3.t

“Playing the shooting games while using just my weaker eye was hard at first, but after a few months I could win all game levels easily,” said Sen. “I’m very happy that I stuck with the program. My vision has improved a lot, so that I now have no trouble studying or taking exams. My tennis game also improved, and of course I’m now a pro PC gamer.”

“The cooperation of the patient is very important, maybe even crucial, to successful treatment of amblyopia,” said Dr. Ghosh. “We should never give up on our patients, even the older children, but instead offer them hope and treatment designed to help them achieve better vision.”

 

 

 

 

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My column is neither beat or subject specific, and has ranged from whimsical to hard news. Since I'm primarily an education reporter and a native of the Hazleton area, those often draw my focus.

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A West Hazleton native, I worked as a service technician repairing electronic mailing and shipping systems, a bike shop owner and an Emergency Medical Technician (among other jobs) before landing a reporter job at the Times Leader Hazleton Bureau in 1995. I started by covering primarily politics in Hazleton City and outlying municipalities, eventually became "social issues" team leader in the Wilkes-Barre office with the accent on education, and headed the Hazleton Bureau for a spell before returning to full-time reporting, my preferred position. I'm an avid cyclist and rode across the country in 1990, a trip of more than 5,000 miles from New Jersey to Seattle and down the coast to San Francisco. Years in the Boy Scouts made me a life long backpacker and camper, and I've yet to find a better way to enjoy the quiet lure of winter snow than cross country skiing.

Mark also writes a regular blog for timesleader.com.

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