After children start kindergarten, their screen time increases significantly. If eye hygiene isn't carefully managed during this period, it can easily develop into myopia. Many parents don't pay enough attention to this, emphasizing academics while neglecting to guide children in proper eye care, leading to a rise in myopia and an earlier onset of the condition. Recent results of myopia examinations in young children are enough to raise societal concern. So, what are some ways to prevent myopia in children?
1. Wear glasses correctly
Only by performing a cycloplegic refraction can the cause of a child's poor vision be determined, whether it is true or pseudomyopia, hyperopia or astigmatism. A routine cycloplegic refraction requires about a week to allow the child to read freely again, so parents often choose rapid cycloplegic agents. However, the results from rapid cycloplegic refraction are not accurate, and may result in prescribing glasses with a higher prescription than the child actually has. This can cause the child's myopia to progress to a higher degree.
Some children have pseudomyopia, which can be corrected to normal through functional exercises. However, if parents prescribe glasses without dilating the pupils, the child's eyes may develop true myopia over a long period of adaptation, or the myopia may progress more rapidly.
2. Prevent eye fatigue
Avoid prolonged close-range reading. In addition to giving your eyes sufficient rest, getting enough sleep can reduce eye fatigue.
3. Avoid looking at things up close for too long.
In cities, people's line of sight is mostly within 5 meters. Because of this limited urban environment and the lack of opportunities for children to look far into the distance, their farsightedness weakens over time. Therefore, children should be encouraged to look at distant objects during study breaks and avoid focusing too much on close objects.
4. Increase outdoor activity time
Nowadays, children spend most of their time indoors, using their eyes for close-up work extensively. Children's eyes are highly adaptable and will adjust themselves to this close-up work. Spending more time indoors means more opportunities to watch TV and play computer games. If attention isn't paid to distance and posture, their eyes can easily become overly fatigued. Therefore, children should be encouraged to spend more time outdoors or participate in outings, relaxing their minds and bodies while also adjusting the distance at which they view objects. Outdoors, even the closest objects appear farther away than indoors. Studies have shown that children who regularly engage in outdoor activities are less likely to develop myopia than those who rarely go outdoors.
5. Avoid improper lighting intensity
Ophthalmologists believe that the lighting used for children's reading and writing is not too dim, but too bright! Excessive light can easily tire a child's eyes. Children need soft light, and the light should come from their left front. Therefore, when children read or write at night, choose a lamp with adjustable brightness, setting it to a soft setting.
6. Maintain good health
In daily life, it is important to pay attention to balanced nutrition, moderate exercise, and rest to improve the body's immunity.
7. Good reading habits and environment
Reduce close-up reading and maintain a viewing distance of about 35 centimeters. Take a 5-10 minute break every 40 minutes to 1 hour of reading. During breaks, go for a walk, look into the distance, and help relax your muscles.
When reading, it is important to prepare a good environment, including appropriate lighting, good quality paper, clear printing, appropriately sized fonts, and suitable table and chair heights.
8. Adhere to principles when watching television.
The television should be placed slightly below eye level; the distance between your eyes and the television should be 5-7 times the diagonal of the television screen; the room lights should not be completely turned off while watching television; the image on the television screen should be clear; take a 5-minute break every 30 minutes of watching, and you can close your eyes to rest or get up and walk around during commercial breaks.
9. Use electronic products correctly
Avoid prolonged use of computers, mobile phones, or iPads; ideally, limit use to 15 minutes or less. When using electronic devices, pay attention to the distance between your eyes and the screen, and ensure the ambient light is neither too dim nor too bright. After using electronic devices, look into the distance to relax your eyes.
