Apple has introduced new vision health features to its software to encourage healthy behaviours that help reduce the risk of myopia.
The new Apple iOS 17, iPadOS 17, and watchOS 10 systems include a monitor of Time in Daylight and language that talks to users about their time spent staring at screens.
Apple’s announcement referenced statistics predicting the number of people impacted by myopia will grow to five billion people by 2050.
“The International Myopia Institute recommends children spend at least 80–120 minutes a day outdoors,” the Apple announcement said.1
“With watchOS 10, Apple Watch introduces the ability to measure time spent in daylight using the ambient light sensor. Users can view the amount of time spent in daylight detected by their Apple Watch in the Health app in iOS 17 and iPadOS 17.
“Children who do not have their own iPhone can use Family Setup to pair their Apple Watch to their parent’s iPhone, giving parents visibility into the amount of time their kids are spending in daylight with Health Sharing. Time spent in daylight can provide additional benefits to physical and mental health, so this feature is available to all watchOS 10 users.”
Apple Watch introduces the ability to measure time spent in daylight using the ambient light sensor
Screen Distance
Apple said a new screen distance feature uses the camera on iPhone and iPad to encourage users to move their device farther away after holding it closer than 30cm for an extended period of time.
“Screen Distance can remind younger users to engage in healthy viewing habits that can lower their risk of myopia, and it gives adult users the opportunity to reduce digital eyestrain,” the company statement said.
CooperVision’s Dr Justin Kwan said the update was important because “the public pays attention to what Apple is up to”.
“This technology has the distinct advantage of being objective, lending itself to the power of big data. Previously, parents would just estimate the amount of time their children spend outside or periodically estimate their working distance from their eyes to their books and devices.
“Self-reporting is always fraught with bias—now we can have more definitive and valid conclusions, quantifying the size of the benefit for these lifestyle modifications,” Dr Kwan said.
Reference
- Apple, Apple Provides Powerful Insights into New Areas of Health (news release) available at: apple.com/au/newsroom/2023/06/apple-provides-powerful-insights-into-new-areas-of-health/ [accessed 20 June 2023].
