Researchers suspect that bright outdoor light helps children’s developing eyes maintain the correct distance between the lens and the retina — which keeps vision in focus. Dim indoor lighting doesn’t seem to provide the same kind of feedback. As a result, when children spend too many hours inside, their eyes fail to grow correctly and the distance between the lens and retina becomes too long, causing far-away objects to look blurry.
This leads us to a recommendation that may 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.
Interesting, but…
I’m sure the research is on to something, but I know that reading poolside, outside, I have had issues with sun-glare off the white background of newer book pages…such that without sunglasses it’s rather uncomfortable; If I remember to wear sunglasses, I manage just fine.
Shade
A slightly shaded spot outside probably still provides much better light levels as compared to inside. Any photographers that use light meters on here. What level do you get on your light meter outside under a shade tree versus inside? I would expect the light level outside even in a slightly shaded area to be brighter.