A huge majority of highschool graduates in Southeast Asia shows symptoms of short-sightedness. Levels have reached 80 - 90 percent compared with 20 to 30 percent after WW2.
Recent studies (article in German) suggest increased evidence for a connection between the time spent outside and a decreased risk for myopia. As Asians are cramming under increased educational pressure, myopia is spreading like an epidemic. Growth of the eyeball is inhibited by dopamine, the production of which is influenced through exposure to direct sunlight.
Another article suggests that exposure to blue light lessens myopia in chicken.
In the face of this, it might be worthwhile looking at newly developed window coatings that let higher amounts of the blue spectrum through the glass.
If blue light does not only have effects on melatonin levels in humans but also results in decreased myopia, this would be an additional benefit for the time we increasingly spend indoors.
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