This week, the New York Times ran an article on the effects of too much time spent indoors (and therefore with artificial indoor lighting) on myopia. In short, it argued, scientists believe that too much time spent with artificial light, and therefore not enough spent in natural outdoor light, results in higher rates of nearsightedness.*
The suggestion, therefore? A recommendation to "satisfy tiger and soccer moms alike: if your child is going to stick his nose in a book this summer, get him to do it outdoors."
Personally, I love this recommendation. Though Shelf Awareness Pro suggested that instructions to spend more time reading outdoors could mean a higher demand for e-readers than can be read outdoors, I find that my good, ol'-fashioned p-books work just as well indoors as out, and I aim to spend as much time as possible sitting outside reading this summer. Of course, I can't see more than 5 feet away from me without glasses anyway, so maybe it's too late to avoid myopia. But I'll be outdoors with my book(s!) regardless.
What about you? Do you read outdoors when weather permits? Do you have specific books that are better for reading outdoors?
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*In which "eyes fail to grow correctly and the distance between the lens and retina becomes too long, causing far-away objects to look blurry"
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