Can myopia be cured?

“Is myopia really incurable?”

“The more you wear your glasses, the higher the degree of your glasses will be?”

“Can’t myopia be reduced?”

…

Facing parents who come to see the doctor

Frequent but similar doubts

There is only one truth

Under current medical technology conditions

Myopia really cannot be cured!

The National Health Commission and six other departments have jointly issued a notice: Do not use expressions such as "recovery", "restoration", "reduction of degree", "cure of myopia", "myopia killer" in external publicity of myopia correction to mislead myopic children, adolescents and parents. And clearly emphasize that under the current medical technology conditions, myopia cannot be cured!!!

Why do we become nearsighted?

If we regard the eye as a camera, our cornea (black pupil) and the lens in the eye are equivalent to the camera lens, and the retina at the bottom of the eye is equivalent to the camera film. The eye axis is the distance from the corneal vertex to the central axis of the retina, which is equivalent to the distance from the front of the lens to the film.

When these parts work together well, objects will fall on the retina as clear images, so that we can see clear things through our eyes.

Once the changes occur, the image cannot fall accurately on the retina, which is what we usually call refractive error, that is, myopia, astigmatism, etc. The part that is most likely to change is the eye axis.

Why can't myopia be cured?

When we are just born, our eye axis is usually short, so we are in the physiological hyperopia stage and have a certain reserve of hyperopia. As we age and our body develops, our eyeballs gradually grow, and our eye axis will gradually increase like our height, and our hyperopia will gradually decrease and tend to be emmetropia. This process is called "emmetropization of the eyeball."

However, many children nowadays have consumed their hyperopia reserves early due to long-term overuse of their eyes, and their eyeballs have overdeveloped, resulting in an elongated eye axis. The elongated eye axis is like a person who has grown taller, and it cannot be shortened anymore, so the degree of myopia cannot be eliminated naturally.

The most important thing to deal with myopia is that myopia prevention and control is an ongoing process. If myopia is not managed, the length of the eyeball will continue to grow and the degree of myopia will continue to deepen. Even though modern high-tech medical technology has been used to restore vision, this will not repair the damage that myopia has already caused to the eyes. The best treatment is to prevent it before it happens and not overuse your eyes.

For children , it is recommended to check their vision and refractive power every six months ; for adults with high myopia , it is recommended to have a fundus examination every year. The risk of eye complications with high myopia will be greatly increased , such as retinal detachment, macular hemorrhage, glaucoma, cataracts, etc. These diseases may cause serious vision damage or even blindness; and have many impacts on the patient's quality of life, such as decreased visual quality, restrictions on some occupations and activities (joining the military, sports, etc.), etc.

(When you turn off the lights at night and lie on your side playing with your phone, be aware that you might actually go blind!)

Small habits can slow down myopia

Although myopia is irreversible, most axial myopia is a long-term process, and eye habits, outdoor activities, light, etc. will affect this process.

A few tips on eye habits will help you slow down your progress towards myopia.

0 1 Blink more

Blinking can moisten the surface of the eyeball. People usually blink about 15 times a minute. But studies show that if we often look at electronic devices such as computers and mobile phones, we only blink 5 to 7 times a minute. You can consciously blink more to prevent the surface of the eyeball from drying out.

0 2 Follow the “20-20-20” rule

Every 20 minutes, focus your gaze on an object at least 20 feet away for at least 20 seconds.

0 3 Sit farther away from the computer

It's best to sit about 24 inches (63.5 cm) from the screen (about an arm's length). Also, position the screen so that your eyes are looking slightly downward, rather than straight ahead or up.
0 4Use a humidifier

If you often spend time in a dry, warm room, consider using a humidifier to add moisture to the air.

The optometry department of the Aier Eye Hospital affiliated to Wuhan University reminds that it is particularly important to prevent the occurrence and development of myopia. The risk of myopia can be more effectively reduced by improving eye habits, increasing time spent outdoors, maintaining a balanced diet, and undergoing regular eye examinations.

Special statement: This article is only for health science popularization, not for any commercial advertising purpose, and does not replace hospital examination and treatment. If you have related diseases, please go to a regular medical institution for treatment in time and follow the doctor's advice. If the pictures infringe, please contact us to delete.