Step Two: Counselling

Increase number of hours of outdoor activities lower the risk of having myopia ^{7, 8, 9}

Other advice*: Computer Use ¹⁷

• Lighting requirements will vary with the task.

• More lighting may be needed when other source documents are also viewed.

• In general, lighting levels between 200 and 700 lux (approximately lightbulb of 15 to 50 watt) measured at the workstation are recommended.

• More than 500 lux (approximately lightbulb of 35 watt) will usually be needed only to read poor quality documents. This additional lighting may be accomplished through the use of specific task lighting.

• A viewing distance of 20 to 28 inches is generally recommended.

• The eyes should be in a downward gaze of about 15° when viewing a computer screen. It is because as the direction of gaze moves downward, stress on the eye muscles is reduced.

• As a result, the top of the screen should be below the horizontal eye level of the operator and tilted back slightly (10°-20°) away from the operator.

Increase number of hours of outdoor activities lower the risk of having myopia ^{7, 8, 9}

• *This advice is for optometric consultation related to visual hygiene but not link to myopia control

7. Mutti DO, Mitchell GL et al. Parental myopia, near work, school achievement, and children's refractive error. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 2002 Dec; 43(12):3633-40.

8. Onal S, Toker E et al. Refractive errors of medical students in Turkey: one year follow-up of refraction and biometry. Optom Vis Sci 2007 Mar; 84(3):175-80.

9. Rose KA, Morgan IG et al. Outdoor activity reduces the prevalence of myopia in children. Ophthalmology 2008 Aug;115(8):1279-85.

17. The Effects of Computer Use on Eye Health and Vision, American Optometric Association, 1997.