Governments in Asia are increasingly worried about the public-health implications of entire generations growing up short-sighted. Those in other parts of the world should start worrying, too
Save time by listening to our audio articles as you multitaskEven education is not always an unalloyed good. Over the past few decades, East Asia has seen a stunning rise in the rate of. And a growing pile of evidence suggests that the main underlying reason for this is education—specifically, the fact that children spend large parts of the day in comparatively dimly lit classrooms.
If East Asia is the centre of the epidemic, the West is not immune. Good data are harder to come by. But studies suggest rates of between 20% and 40% in Europe, an order of magnitude higher than the natural state of affairs. One study in California found a rate of 59% among 17- to 19-year-olds. The evidence suggests that regular exposure to bright daylight is vital in properly controlling the growth of children’s eyes. Too little light leads to elongated, short-sighted eyes. Researchers think that this explains why rates are so high in Asia, where a strong cultural emphasis on the value of education leads to long school days and, often, private tutoring in the afternoon and evening. That leaves little time for sunshine.
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