Also known as: outdoor time, myopia prevention, bright light exposure
Latest evidence update: 2021-07-01
Strongest in Consistency (81). Held back by Recency (27).
Solid mix of RCTs with some methodological gaps.
Some independent replication, statistical precision uneven.
Thousands of participants across the literature.
Studies agree on direction of effect.
Mostly pre-2020 research; updates may be needed.
No per-outcome numbers yet for this one. Each finding's direction and strength is shown in the research below.
Areas where research points to a consistent direction of effect. The strength of evidence is graded; the size of the effect is not quantified.
At least 2 hours of outdoor daylight exposure daily, especially for children and young adults. Strong RCT evidence (LAMP trial and others) for slowing myopia progression. Mechanism: dopamine release from retinal cells in response to bright natural light, which inhibits axial elongation of the eye.
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Increased outdoor time remained effective for slowing myopia progression in children aged 8.5 years or younger and in interventions lasting more than 24 weeks, per subgroup analyses.
Near-far accommodation-based exercise and visual training may improve certain functional vision and accommodative outcomes in children and adolescents, but their effects on myopia prevention and control should be interpreted cautiously.
Intermittent bright light exposure during work hours increased melatonin secretion overlap with scheduled sleep time on the last night shift compared to control.
Morning bright light treatment significantly increased pain threshold more than evening bright light treatment (P < 0.05) in women with fibromyalgia.
Full-spectrum light exposure reduced reward-seeking behaviour on the Balloon Analogue Risk Task compared to standard indoor light.