World Sight Day 2026: Can two hours outdoors protect your child’s eyesight? Eye doctor explains

Can two hours outdoors help protect children from myopia? An ophthalmologist explains how much outdoor time kids need and why it need not be continuous.

New Delhi: Between school, homework, tuition and screens, a child’s day can easily become an almost entirely indoor affair. Even playtime increasingly happens on phones, tablets or gaming devices. Amid these changing routines, eye specialists have been paying closer attention to a surprisingly simple habit that may help protect children’s vision: spending more time outdoors.

Around two hours outside every day is increasingly discussed as a practical target for children, particularly in conversations around myopia, or short-sightedness. But does a child really need to be outdoors for two continuous hours? Does sitting outside count? And can outdoor play compensate for hours spent staring at a screen?

Outdoor activities can reduce risk of myopia

Speaking exclusively to News9 Digital, Dr Purendra Bhasin, Ophthalmologist, Founder & Director, Ratan Jyoti Netralaya, Gwalior, explained that the goal is less about rigidly counting minutes and more about creating a healthier balance between outdoor exposure and the amount of time children spend focusing on objects close to their eyes.

“There is growing evidence that spending time outdoors can help reduce the risk of myopia, or short-sightedness, in children. We are seeing more children develop myopia today, and one of the factors being studied is the amount of time they spend indoors compared with previous generations,” he told us.

Do children really need two hours outdoors every day?

For busy parents, fitting another two-hour activity into the........

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