Night light 'damages children's eyes'
Children should sleep in the dark
Children who sleep with a light on during the night could be
ruining
their eyesight, scientists have warned.
US scientists have found that children who sleep with a light on
are
significantly more likely than children who sleep in the dark to
grow up short-sighted and having to wear glasses.
BBC Health Correspondent James Westhead: "Children's
eyesight is getting worse"
In the trials, children under the age of two who slept with a
light
on were five times more likely to be short-sighted than those who
slept in the dark.
Toddlers who slept with a "night-light" were three times more
likely
to be short-sighted.
Short-sightedness, or myopia, is the inability to focus on
distant
objects. It is thought to be a risk factor for blindness in later
life.
It is caused by excessive growth of the eyeball, which grows
particularly quickly before the age of two. Scientists believe
light
at night may stimulate the eyeball to grow.
The US team questioned the parents of 479 children about whether
their sons and daughters, before the age of two, slept with room
lighting, a night-light or in darkness.
The children were aged between two and 16 at the time of the
study,
with an average age of eight.
The researchers found that 10% of children who slept in the dark
were short-sighted, but for those who slept with a night-light
the
number who were short-sighted was 34%, and, for those who slept
with
a room light on, the figure was 55%.
Risk factor
Professor Richard Stone, from the Scheie Eye Institute at
Pennsylvania University in Philadelphia, is part of the research
team.
Professor Richard Stone explains the team's work
He said: "Our findings suggest that the absence of a nightly
period
of full darkness in early childhood may be an important risk
factor
in the future development of near-sightedness.
"It would seem advisable for infants and young children to sleep
at
night without artificial lighting in the bedroom until further
research can evaluate all the implications of our results."
The researchers, who reported their results in the journal
Nature,
said their findings might explain why short-sightedness has
become
more common over the last 200 years.
Ten per cent of children now need to wear glasses.
Early findings
But Professor Stone told BBC Radio 4's Today programme it would
be
premature to say that light actually made children short-sighted.
BBC Radio 5's Science Specialist Matt McGrath offers
his
view of the study
"The study shows an association and is the first effort to tackle
the problem. But the association is very strong, even if it does
not
establish a cause and effect."
Many researchers believe that an increase in close-up work, such
as
reading and writing, may be to blame.
But the authors of the new study speculate that greater ambient
night-time levels associated with urban living might contribute
to
the growing rate of short-sightedness in developing countries.
Previous research on chicks has shown that the relative
proportions
of light and dark during the 24-hour day greatly affects eye
growth
and focusing development.
Parents 'should not worry'
Gill Adams, consultant ophthalmic surgeon at Moorfields Eye
Hospital
in London, urged parents not to worry about night-lights.
Gill Adams says light could be a factor in eye
development
She said: "The most important factor in a child later becoming
short-sighted is whether or not the parents are short-sighted.
"Environmental factors may play an additional role."
Laura Galbraith, head of child clinical psychology at Fife
Primary
Care Trust, Scotland, based at Stratheden Hospital, said:
"Ideally
children should learn to cope with the dark, because, after all,
darkness is part of life, and it will help them sleep better.
"We advise parents not to turn the light on when comforting their
child because then light becomes associated with security and
comfort, and is seen as a positive thing, while dark is seen as a
negative thing.
"But we wouldn't force children to put up with the dark if it
worries them. It's best to turn the light off gradually, maybe
using
a dimmer switch."
Other factors
Optician Ellot Most says factors other than sleeping in light
might
be to blame for poor eyesight.
Elliot Most says children watch too much TV
He said: "The necessity for children to spend a lot of time
reading
and writing, they are spending more time in front of the
television
and they are sitting in front of their computer games more, and
that
is influencing their eyesight."
BBC Radio 5 Science Specialist Matt McGrath said the research did
not offer the final word on the subject.
"What the researchers are saying is that, in some respects, it's
OK
to leave the landing light on and the door open - they're not too
concerned about ambient light exposure," he said.
"What they are concerned about is direct light exposure, and it's
going to take a lot more research before they find out exactly
what
the link is."
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