Tian Tian is only 5 years old and has a hard time seeing things. When his mother asks him to hold a cup on the table, he reaches out his hand and always veers off somehow. How could such a young child have myopia? The ophthalmologist found that Tiantian was not myopic, but amblyopic.
Last year, a vision survey of 11,520 children in the province found that the rate of poor vision among children in kindergarten was as high as 20-30%. Unlike primary and secondary school students, preschool children’s eye diseases are mainly strabismus and amblyopia, and the prevalence of amblyopia is 2.84%
Question 1: What are the dangers of amblyopia in children?
Untreated before the age of 10 may be “stereo-blind”
Amblyopia, one of the most common eye diseases in young children, is also an eye disease that seriously endangers children’s visual function.
Amblyopia is a condition in which the visual acuity of one or both eyes does not reach 1.0 without obvious organic lesions, and it is caused by the failure of the child to receive appropriate visual stimulation during infancy due to perceptual, motor, conduction and central reasons, which affects visual development and results in a decrease in related functions.
In 2010, the Strabismus and Pediatric Ophthalmology Group of the Ophthalmology Branch of the Chinese Medical Association revised the diagnostic criteria for childhood amblyopia: children under 3 years of age have visual acuity below 0.5; 4 to 5 years of age below 0.6; 6 to 7 years of age below 0.7; or the difference in visual acuity between the two eyes is more than 2 lines.
Amblyopic children in daily life, and general myopia, farsightedness symptoms are very similar, parents are often easy to neglect. Lou Xiaobo said, if the child can be detected in time before the age of 4, you can achieve a more satisfactory treatment effect. But if you miss the best treatment period (before the age of 10), will have a serious impact on the child’s future visual function, and even become “stereo blind” (no stereo vision).
Question 2: How can I test my child’s vision?
Parents may want to try the masking test
The child’s binocular vision development is generally perfected at the age of 6-8. Therefore, during early childhood, it is recommended that parents make an annual trip to the hospital ophthalmology department to have their child’s vision professionally and accurately checked.
Some parents purchase a standard vision chart and hang it on the wall at home for their child to identify while standing at a distance, a method that experts do not advocate, “Children are smart enough to memorize it after a few looks.”
From the child’s abnormal behavior, can also be predicted whether it is suffering from amblyopia. Lou Xiaobo said, for example, whether the child likes to watch TV very close, is not walking often fall down and can not grasp things. Parents may wish to observe whether the child can look at things steadily, if the eyes turn back and forth or tremble, then there is a possibility of amblyopia.
For children who are reluctant to cooperate with the vision check, a simple masking test can be used to get a general idea of their binocular vision by intentionally covering one eye and letting the child look at the object with one eye. If the child is quiet when covering this side, but tears the mask when covering the other eye, it suggests that the vision of the uncovered eye is poor and should be checked at the hospital as soon as possible.
Question 3: What should I do if my child has amblyopia?
Early detection and best treatment before the age of 6
Even if your child has amblyopia, parents should not be too nervous. As long as it is detected in time, after the examination by the ophthalmologist in the hospital, the pupil is dilated and the corrective glasses are worn, and the auxiliary training is adhered to, the child can generally get better results before the age of 6.
There is a therapy called “fine vision training”, which means that the child wears glasses for needle and bead threading training. Each time through 200-300 needles or beads, to promote hand-eye coordination, in order to improve vision. Lou Xiaobo believes that this method will cause eye fatigue and is not suitable for myopic amblyopia, “any training methods, are approved by the regular hospital specialist, after guidance, otherwise it may cause harm.”
Tips: Prevent myopia, iPhone and iPad to play less
Nowadays, children can grab their parents’ iPhone or iPad and play games such as “Cut the Watermelon” and “Angry Birds”. Two or three years old children’s eyesight is not yet mature, watching TV should be limited to half an hour, cell phones and tablets using bright colors, visual stimulation is too strong, more likely to trigger the child’s optic nerve fatigue, and even induce myopia. Therefore, it is best to keep children away from iPhones and iPads, and to go outdoors to look away after using them, so that the eyes can rest fully.
In order to insulate children from myopia, parents should also pay attention to the diet. Foods that contain a lot of sugar can cause the eyes to grow longer and longer, triggering myopia from the physiological structure, so be sure to give your child less to eat. The quality of animal protein is good for promoting vision, such as chicken, fish, etc., may be more into the child’s bowl folder.