PLoS ONE (Jan 2017)

Pilot study of a novel classroom designed to prevent myopia by increasing children's exposure to outdoor light.

  • Zhongqiang Zhou,
  • Tingting Chen,
  • Mengrui Wang,
  • Ling Jin,
  • Yongyi Zhao,
  • Shangji Chen,
  • Congyao Wang,
  • Guoshan Zhang,
  • Qilin Wang,
  • Qiaoming Deng,
  • Yubo Liu,
  • Ian G Morgan,
  • Mingguang He,
  • Yizhi Liu,
  • Nathan Congdon

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0181772
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 12, no. 7
p. e0181772

Abstract

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We sought to assess light characteristics and user acceptability of a prototype Bright Classroom (BC), designed to prevent children's myopia by exposing them to light conditions resembling the outdoors. Conditions were measured throughout the school year in the glass-constructed BC, a traditional classroom (TC) and outdoors. Teachers and children completed user questionnaires, and children rated reading comfort at different light intensities. A total of 230 children (mean age 10.2 years, 57.4% boys) and 13 teachers (36.8 years, 15.4% men) completed questionnaires. The median (Inter Quartile Range) light intensity in the BC (2,540 [1,330-4,060] lux) was greater than the TC (477 [245-738] lux, P 5,000 lux) was at the upper limit of children's comfort for reading. In summary, light intensity in the BC exceeds TC, and is at the practical upper limit for routine use. Children and teachers prefer the BC.