All children’s eyes grow. Myopia, also known as short- or near-sightedness, results when the eye grows more than is typical for the child’s age and need, resulting in an elongated eye. Myopia has been described by multiple researchers as a threat to public health because this additional ocular growth stretches the eye, placing the eye at risk of developing sight threatening conditions. Australian researchers have estimated that myopia will become a leading cause of permanent blindness worldwide without the implementation of lifestyle and environmental changes for all children and appropriate management for children who have developed myopia. Insufficient time outdoors is the only risk factor that has been found to cause the development and progression of myopia.

Discussion Day 2026 will commence by providing participants with an overview of myopia and its impact on vision and the eye. The focus will then move into the environmental and lifestyle protective factors by exploring ways to support children with blindness/low vision and their sighted peers to spend more time outdoors. This will include discussion around passive outdoor time and opportunities for increased outdoor physical activity. Strategies to lessen the impact of near work will also be discussed.