Why are children’s eyesight deteriorating even though living conditions are getting better? Because there are less and less opportunities to see in life!
Think about it, when do we need to see beyond 5 meters? In the office, we are facing the computer, and at home, we are watching TV. In the city, buildings are getting taller and taller, and children have fewer and fewer opportunities to go downstairs to play. In such an environment, we and our children are faced with close eye use, and the farsightedness of our eyes inevitably becomes weaker and weaker, especially in growing children, who are more affected by the environment.
Where does myopia come from?
If we compare our eyes to a camera, the lens is like the lens of the camera and the eye is like a dark box. The curvature of the cornea is set before the child is 3 years old and cannot be changed instantaneously. In other words, only the lens, which is the lens, can be changed instantaneously. In order to see clearly, the lens will constantly adjust itself to look far away, it becomes flat; look close to the place, it becomes convex. This physiological function is called “accommodation”.
The adjustment function of the eye is related to the flexibility of the lens, and the child’s lens is very flexible and strong in adjustment. So, in order to see clearly, he can get very close to see, when his lens will become very convex; when looking at something far away, his lens will become very flat again. So, when you notice that your child sometimes gets very close to see things, it does not necessarily mean that he is nearsighted, but that his lens is too capable and is self-regulating. The older you get, the less flexible the lens becomes, and by the age of 40 or 50, the flexibility is so bad that the lens can’t become convex when the distance gets closer, so it’s not clear to see up close, so you need a fancy lens to help adjust it. By the age of sixty or seventy, the lens is not flexible anymore.
Just because a child’s lens is so capable, it will constantly self-adjust as needed. If a child uses his or her eyes consistently and for long periods of time at close range, the ciliary muscles of the eye become tense and the lens is constantly bulging. At this point, the child will show some signs of myopia, such as not being able to see clearly at a distance, which is pseudomyopia. If the lens does not recover its flattened state for a long time, part of the child will become myopic.
Myopia, the inevitable result of adapting to modern life
In fact, myopia is a lifestyle-related disease, an evolution of survival of the fittest taken by humans to adapt to modern lifestyles. In order to cope with close work, one must be able to read well at close range, as a result of the eyes adapting to their environment. The Eskimos are a typical example, they used to use their eyes at a distance and were not nearsighted at all. When modern civilization entered the Arctic Circle, Eskimos also appeared myopic eyes.
As you can see, living in a modern society, naturally, our bodies instinctively make adjustments to adapt to this life. Mild myopia does not affect the life of most people yet, but once it develops to medium to high myopia, causing the eye axis to become longer and the retina and choroid to degenerate, it enters pathological myopia, which may bring consequences such as retinal detachment, fundus hemorrhage, vitreous liquefaction after detachment, and even blindness. Therefore, what we have to pay attention to is to avoid our children’s eyes to be too myopic too early and myopia too severe to bring trouble to their body and life.
Now, let’s search what lifestyle, what bad habits, in addition to genetic factors, are affecting our children’s eyesight.
7 major reasons for the eyes to look more and more myopia:.
1, looking too much at the near
In the city, people’s vision most of the time within 5 meters, you simply can not explain to your child what is the horizon, because simply can not see! It is because the field of vision is not open in the city, the lack of environment that can provide children with extreme vision, without the need to use distance vision, so his distance vision function will become weaker and weaker.
2.There is too little time for outdoor activities
Nowadays, the living space is too small, and children spend most of their time indoors, so they have a lot of time to use their eyes at close range. Moreover, more time in the house, watching TV, playing computer opportunities also increased, if you do not pay attention to the distance, posture, it is easy to make the eyes overworked.
In the outdoors, objects are no closer, but also farther than in the house. Some studies have proved that children who often play outdoors are less likely to suffer from myopia than children who do not go out often.
3, mainly indoor games
What did we play in the past? Playing gyroscope, throwing sandbags, hide-and-seek, rolling iron rings …… In short, most of them are outdoor group activities. When outdoor activities, the eyes will automatically adjust to see things at different distances, alternating near and far eyes, so that the ciliary muscles of the eyes are regulated, will not feel fatigue. Nowadays, parents mostly let their children play at home for reasons of safety and convenience. Even if the children play together, either at his home or at your home, or mainly indoor games. In this way, the child are in close proximity to the eyes, the eye burden is very heavy.
4, improper light intensity
”Is the light bright enough? I worry that the lights are too dark will affect the child’s eyesight.” We generally think so. In fact, ophthalmologists believe that now the lights of children reading and writing are not too dark, but too bright! Too much light can make a child’s eyes easily feel fatigued. What children need is soft light, and make sure that the light comes from the child’s left front. Therefore, at night when children read and write, you can choose to adjust the light and darkness of the lamp, the brightness to soft prevail.
5, book paper, printing is too “delicate”
More and more exquisite printing, more and more elaborate paper, so that children’s books are increasingly ornamental. However, these beautiful books may also hurt the eyes of children. Copperplate paper is too reflective, especially at night, it feels especially obvious, straight shaking eyes. This dazzling light is medically called glare, which makes what you want to see more unclear, and eye fatigue more easily.
After birth, children’s vision development is not yet mature, until the age of 5 years to develop close to adult level. That’s why young children can’t look at things that are too small and unclear. Larger words, simpler images, and more obvious contrasts are suitable for children, so that their eyes are less likely to be fatigued. If you often look at tiny things, or if the color contrast is not clear, the ciliary muscle and lens workload will increase. The lens is innervated by the ciliary muscle, and the ciliary muscle has tension and relaxation for it to function properly. If the long-term tension, relaxation is not down, it will spasm, forming pseudomyopia.
6, with glasses too casual
The glasses are not accurate, the prescription is not standard, and the quality is not up to par. This way the eyes are easily fatigued and the degree is easy to increase.
7, myopic glasses are too high
The first thing you want is for your child to be able to see 1.5 or 1.2. Many parents and children are asking for this. Yes, after the glasses only see 0.8, 1.0, how can that work? However, an experienced doctor will not give your child such a prescription. He will first ask your child where he sits in class, and if he sits in the first or second row, he can correct his vision to 0.8 or so. Even if you sit in the back row, you can see 1.0 after the glasses are fitted, and you will never be given 1.2 or more.
In this way, his myopia will not increase, or increase very slowly. On the contrary, if you need glasses to be able to see far to 1.2, 1.5, and use these glasses to read and write, his glasses next year will certainly be significantly higher.
Alternating far and near vision for better vision
Have your child hold an object in his hand, such as a ruler or pencil, and look out the window at an object in the distance for a few seconds, then withdraw his gaze to look at the object held in his hand for a few seconds. Alternating between looking far and near in this way keeps the ciliary muscles and lens active and is a good way to exercise the eyes and prevent myopia.