ArticleOphthalmic & physiological optics : the journal of the British College of Ophthalmic Opticians (Optometrists)2023
The outdoor environment affects retinal and choroidal thickness.
Article in Ophthalmic & physiological optics : the journal of the British College of Ophthalmic Opticians (Optometrists), 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 18 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
18 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Effects of table tennis on vision in children and adolescents: a multilevel dose-response meta-analysis.Frontiers in medicine · 2026Pooled it
- The Effect of Light Intensity and the Timing of Light Exposure on Choroidal Thickness.Ophthalmic & physiological optics : the journal of the British College of Ophthalmic Opticians (Optometrists) · 2026Trial
- Beyond Screen Time: A Measurement Framework for Behavioral Exposures in Childhood Myopia.Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Myopia as a Global Public Health Challenge a Narrative Review.Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Diurnal Light Exposure and Rest-Activity Rhythms in Relation to MASLD: Insights From 2 Nationwide Cohort Studies.The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism · 2026Article
- Quantitative assessment of subfoveal choroidal thickness, retinal thickness, and choroidal vascularity index after upper eyelid blepharoplasty.International ophthalmology · 2026Article
- Influence of light on myopia-a review.International journal of ophthalmology · 2026Review
- Daytime lighting conditions alter home-cage behavior across both sexes in diurnal grass rats.Frontiers in neuroscience · 2026Article
- Thicker peripapillary choroid may be associated with behavioral factors in Tokyo's children.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Intensive outdoor activity for 1 week increases choroidal thickness in Japanese schoolchildren: a prospective observational study.BMC ophthalmology · 2025Observational
- Causal relationship between multiple types of food intake and myopia: a Mendelian randomization study.International journal of ophthalmology · 2025Article
- Myopia Is an Ischemic Eye Condition: A Review from the Perspective of Choroidal Blood Flow.Journal of clinical medicine · 2024Review
- Short-Term Myopic Defocus and Choroidal Thickness in Children and Adults.Investigative ophthalmology & visual science · 2024Article
- The influence of the environment and lifestyle on myopia.Journal of physiological anthropology · 2024Review
- Seasonal and Annual Change in Physiological Ocular Growth of 7- to 11-Year-Old Norwegian Children.Investigative ophthalmology & visual science · 2023Article
- IMI-The Dynamic Choroid: New Insights, Challenges, and Potential Significance for Human Myopia.Investigative ophthalmology & visual science · 2023Review
- Single Cell Transcriptomics Identifies Distinct Choroid Cell Populations Involved in Visually Guided Eye Growth.Frontiers in ophthalmology · 2023Article
- Deep learning-based segmentation of OCT images for choroidal thickness.Journal of optometryArticle
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
2 authors.
Funding
Abstract
purposeAccumulating evidence suggests that time outdoors is protective against myopia development and that the choroid may be involved in this effect. The goal of this study was to examine the effect of 2 h of time outdoors in sunlight on retinal and choroidal thickness in adults.
methodsTwenty adults, ages 23-46 years, each participated in three experimental sessions on different days, consisting of 2 h of exposure to (1) indoor illumination (350 lux), (2) darkness (<0.1 lux) or (3) outdoor environment (6000-50,000 lux). Spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) imaging was conducted at baseline, after 1 and 2 h of exposure, and after 1 and 2 h of follow-up. Choroidal, total retinal, photoreceptor outer segment + retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and photoreceptor inner segment thicknesses were determined.
resultsAt 2 h, the choroid was significantly thinner during the outdoor compared with the indoor and dark conditions (p < 0.01) but was not significantly different at follow-up. Total retinal thickness was significantly thicker during and after the outdoor compared with the indoor and dark conditions. The outer segment + RPE was significantly thinner during the outdoor compared with the indoor condition but was not significantly different at follow-up. The inner segment was significantly thicker during the outdoor compared with the indoor and dark conditions during exposure and follow-up.
conclusionsSpending 2 h outdoors under high-intensity sunlight resulted in an unexpected thinning of the choroid, which recovered post-exposure. Retinal thickness showed different responses to the outdoor and indoor environments and was sensitive to the duration of exposure.
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