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Young people who are keen readers are more likely to need a
cure for childhood short-sightedness when compared to those who read less, it has been claimed.
According to new research from scientists in China and Singapore, regular reading can increase a person's risk of developing myopia - also known as near-sightedness.
Dr Seang-Mei Saw, from the National University of Singapore, and one of the lead researchers behind the new research, said: "Our results suggest that environmental risk factors play an important role in the development of myopia in Asian children and possibly children of other ethnic origins as well."
However, Dr Saw went on to dispel the myth that reading at night can exacerbate vision problems.
"There has been a debate about the role of night lighting as the evidence from prior studies have been mixed," he added.
"In Asian children, night lighting does not seem to contribute significantly to myopia," Dr Saw concluded.
The study, which was published in the Archives of Ophthalmology, looked at a total of 957 schoolchildren in Singapore and China aged between seven and nine-years-old.
According to the researchers behind the new study, there was a massive discrepancy between the incidence of short-sightedness in the young people of China and Singapore. Around one-third of those from the latter had short-sightedness, while only 18.5 per cent from China suffered from the problem.
Children who read more than two books per week were almost three times more likely to need a
cure for childhood short-sightedness as a result of severe myopia when compared to those who read fewer books.
Initial results from the Stabilising of Myopia by Accelerated Reshaping Technique (SMART) study, which is currently being conducted in the US, have shown that Ortho K overnight corrective lenses can halt the progression of - and in some cases completely reverse - myopia in children.
