Anyone who has no organic eye disease and whose distance corrected visual acuity is less than 0.8 or does not meet the required visual acuity for that age group is called amblyopic. In layman’s terms, a child with normal eye appearance who cannot see the 0.8 line of the visual acuity table or who cannot achieve the normal visual acuity for that age group even after an accurate optometry and wearing appropriate glasses is called amblyopic.
What are the dangers of amblyopia?
If amblyopic children are not detected and treated early, the greatest danger to the children is that they not only have low vision in both eyes or one eye, but also do not have perfect visual function in both eyes. Amblyopia is more dangerous than myopia because in simple myopia, vision returns to normal after wearing glasses.
Amblyopia, on the other hand, is different because the patient’s visual cells and nerves do not develop normally because they are not accurately stimulated by external objects for a long time. After correction with glasses, the visual acuity is still lower than normal (below 0.8), and if left untreated, the patient’s vision will be permanently low, becoming monocular. Children with amblyopia not only have low visual acuity, but also lack stereopsis, so they cannot accurately determine the orientation, position and distance vision of objects. Children with amblyopia will not learn stereo geometry well when they grow up and will not be able to choose professions such as architecture, engineering, medicine, mechanics, and artwork. In addition, amblyopia combined with strabismus will affect aesthetics and physical and mental health. Children with amblyopia often have low self-esteem and autism.
Early detection and treatment is crucial for amblyopia
The effectiveness of amblyopia treatment depends on the timing of treatment. Before the age of 9, children with amblyopia will achieve satisfactory results if they receive timely and effective treatment. Therefore, early detection and treatment are crucial for amblyopia.
Parents and infant teachers should pay attention to the vision of infants and children, and treat children with congenital cataracts, ptosis and other disorders early. The result is that you will miss the opportunity to treat amblyopia.
There is a critical period of visual development (from birth to 5 years old) and a sensitive period (before 9 years old), during which visual function is most likely to be affected by monocular strabismus, monocular form deprivation, refractive aberration, refractive error and other factors, resulting in amblyopia. The visual impairment that occurs at this stage can be easily cured if detected and treated appropriately. After the age of 13, the neural pathways in the cerebral cortex of the eye are basically well developed, and through treatment, visual acuity may improve, but perfect stereo vision cannot be established. The younger the amblyopia is treated, the better the outcome and the higher the cure rate, while the cure is basically hopeless in adulthood.
What is scientific prescription glasses
A pair of qualified glasses has several criteria to measure, including photometric error, pupil distance error, pupil height error, appearance defects, etc.; the first time to wear glasses or more increased prescription, after wearing glasses may have eye swelling, visual distortion, etc., generally adapt to 1-2 weeks these conditions will disappear; if wear fatigue, dizziness and do not disappear for a long time, this pair of glasses is not suitable for You
Medical optometry – a prerequisite for accurate prescription
Medical optometry is a prerequisite for accurate, comfortable and healthy glasses, and is a direct reflection of the important content of optometric medicine. Unlike regular optometry, the purpose of medical optometry is not only to see objects clearly, but also to coordinate the role of glasses and eyes and to achieve health care. It is based on the different conditions of each prescription, the traditional optometry and eye examination closely combined, more focus on the evaluation of eye visual function, according to the comprehensive examination results to correctly assess its visual function and refractive state, and then give a reasonable refractive correction prescription and visual function training program, and refer those with eye disease to the ophthalmologist in a timely manner.
At present, domestic medical optometry is still far from widespread, firstly because people are not really aware that prescription is a strict medical process, not an ordinary business practice; secondly, for people who need prescription glasses to correct their vision, the concept that glasses and eyes are an organic whole has not been fully understood, and many people just treat their eyes as an aid to seeing.
Out of the misunderstanding of youth optometry and glasses
Throughout the current situation of optometry for young people in China, there are irregularities and unscientific aspects, so how to get out of these misconceptions?
Myth one
Quick and easy optometry. Optometry is a rigorous process, not just rely on computerized optometry or inserts, a simple check of visual acuity for a few minutes that solve the problem. A set of scientific and standardized medical optometry takes at least 20 to 30 minutes.
Misconception two
No eye exam is needed. There are many reasons for poor vision, not necessarily just simple myopia or astigmatism. Systematic eye examinations should be conducted before optometry to exclude other eye diseases, and early detection and treatment to avoid delays in diagnosis and treatment.
Misconception 3
The pupils of adolescents under the age of 15 should be dilated to relax the adjustment and get an accurate prescription. I have met several adolescent myopia patients, in different optical stores to get very different prescriptions, some even 500 to 700 degrees difference, after dilated pupils using a comprehensive optometry examination, found no need for glasses.
Myth four
The lower the prescription, the better. The principle of myopia prescription is the lowest degree of best corrected vision, but this does not mean that the lower or higher the degree is better, the degree is too low still see a blurred image, but more likely to promote the development of myopia; degree is too high to increase the regulation, the same cause visual fatigue, leading to the further development of myopia.
Myth 5
Pursuing the same prescription in both eyes. The correction effect and visual quality of both eyes should be the same, rather than blindly pursuing the same number of degrees in both eyes, otherwise it will interfere with the visual balance and development of both eyes.
Myth 6
Vision loss must be myopia. When a teenager’s vision declines, he or she must go to a regular eye hospital or optometry clinic for a systematic examination and dilated eye exam to determine whether the refractive error and degree of myopia or astigmatism or farsightedness, and to rule out pseudomyopia, and not to easily put on the myopia hat and wear glasses when they shouldn’t.
Myth 7
There is no difference between medical optometry and general optometry. Medical optometry emphasizes the improvement of visual function of both eyes, in addition to the precise examination of the refractive error of each eye, must check the balance of both eyes, eye position, adjustment power, pupillary distance, etc., not only to have the clearest visual effect, but also to achieve comfort, and play a health care treatment effect on the eyes.