Will you really squint if you sit on the side?

Every time the school season starts, the parent group is very lively, and one of the hot topics is the children's seats. "The front row seats ruin your eyesight, and the seats on the sides cause strabismus." I wonder if you have heard of this "golden rule" widely circulated in the parent group. But there is indeed a mother who sent a message to the head teacher at 3 a.m.: "Please move my child's seat to the middle of the fourth row!" So the question is, are children sitting on the sides of the classroom really prone to strabismus? Today, let's get this matter clear! The editor will first give you a reassurance: children sitting on the sides of the classroom will not directly cause strabismus.

What is strabismus?

The reason why parents have such concerns is that they are certainly very concerned about their children's eye health, but we must first understand what strabismus is. Strabismus is not simply caused by looking at things at a wrong angle. It is caused by problems in the coordinated movement of the extraocular muscles, resulting in unbalanced extraocular muscle strength. Simply put, the two eyes cannot stare at the same target at the same time. When one eye looks at the target, the other eye deviates to the side. There are several types of strabismus. For example, esotropia means that the eyes are slanted inward, which looks a bit like "cross-eyed"; exotropia means that the eyes are deviated outward; there are also hypertropia, hypotropia and rotational strabismus. In the classroom, children sitting on both sides may need to turn their heads to look at the blackboard, but the adjustment ability of normal eyes can usually adapt to this angle change and will not directly lead to strabismus.

What are the main causes of strabismus?

Strabismus is mainly related to family history, abnormal eye muscle development or nervous system problems. Secondly, uncorrected refractive errors, premature birth, brain damage, etc. may all induce strabismus.

What are the symptoms of strabismus?

What are the obvious symptoms of strabismus? Parents should pay close attention! If you find that your child has difficulty concentrating, the position of his eyes is obviously abnormal, always looking outward or upward; or he often tilts his head to look at things, and rubs his eyes from time to time; or even actively covers one eye, thinking that he can see things more clearly; or the child says that he sees things blurry and is afraid of light; he walks very carefully on the stairs, always walks very slowly, and is prone to bumping into things, these may be signs of strabismus.

What are the dangers of strabismus?

The harm caused by strabismus is not small. The most direct impact is on the child's vision. For example, the vision of the strabismus eye will deteriorate, and in severe cases, it may even become amblyopia. Since the two eyes look at things in different directions, it is easy to see double images. In addition, strabismus will also affect stereoscopic vision. For the child's physical development, some children with paralytic strabismus will unconsciously tilt their heads and look at things sideways because of eye muscle paralysis. This is called "compensatory head position" in medicine .

Maintaining this posture for a long time will affect the normal development of bones throughout the body, and problems such as scoliosis and facial crookedness may occur. From a psychological point of view, strabismus will affect the child's appearance. Other children may give the child a nickname because of this, and the child will inevitably feel sad. Over time, it is easy to become withdrawn and inferior, which will cause great harm to mental health. Considering learning and future career development, children with strabismus may encounter difficulties in learning, such as reading and writing in series, and eyestrain leading to lack of concentration. At the same time, due to the impact of strabismus on visual function, future career choices such as driving and drawing, which require fine visual functions, will not be able to be engaged in, and will also be restricted when filling out college entrance examination applications. Therefore, once it is discovered that a child may have strabismus, treatment must be started as early as possible!

Aier Eye Hospital reminds: strabismus will not disappear on its own as children grow older. Before the age of 3, the child's vision and visual function develop rapidly. At this time, refractive correction, visual training, or surgical correction will achieve better treatment results. If the child is over 12 years old, although the appearance can be corrected, it will be much more difficult to restore the visual function. If parents find that the position and movement of their children's two eyes are not the same, they must take their children to a professional ophthalmic medical institution for a detailed examination in time, correct it as soon as possible, and achieve "early detection, early diagnosis, and early treatment" . Don't delay the best time for treatment for your child.

TIPS

Scientific Seat Selection Guide

1. The ideal distance from the blackboard to the seat is ≈ 6-8 times the height of the blackboard (for example, if the blackboard is 1 meter high, the optimal distance is 6-8 meters).
2. Dynamic adjustment: Rotating seats every two weeks or every month is like giving your eyes a “panoramic scanning exercise.”