Is myopia real or fake?

Since the beginning of the new semester, doctors at Henan Optometry Center have seen many children and teenagers who "cannot see the blackboard clearly" during holidays. After a basic refractive examination, children and parents often hear doctors say, "You are nearsighted. Let's dilate the pupil to see if it is real or false!"

It is not difficult to understand from the literal meaning, but how to distinguish true myopia from false myopia? What does pseudomyopia mean? Can it be cured? Will it become true myopia?

" Pseudomyopia " is explained in medical terms as "ciliary muscle spasm". But what does this "ciliary muscle spasm" mean?

Our eyes are very sophisticated and complex organs, which are composed of many tiny "components". The precise and coordinated work between the "components" is the basis for the normal operation of visual function. Any slight change in this precise and coordinated working state will directly affect the visual quality.

The "component" closely related to "pseudomyopia" is the "ciliary muscle". The "ciliary muscle" is a circular muscle tissue that exists inside the eyeball and is hidden behind our brown iris. The contraction and relaxation of this part of the muscle directly affects the morphological changes of the lens. When we are looking at distant objects, the muscles of the eyes are in a relatively relaxed state, and when looking at nearby objects, we need the help of the ciliary muscle and the lens. The main function of the ciliary muscle and the lens is to help us see nearby objects clearly. When we are in a state of looking at close objects for a long time, just like a spring is difficult to rebound to its original length after being stretched to a certain extent, the ciliary muscle will be difficult to relax in a short time due to long-term excessive tension. At this time, what we call "ciliary muscle spasm" appears, which is the case of pseudomyopia.

How to distinguish pseudomyopia from true myopia? We usually have two methods: pupil dilation and fog vision**.

Mydriasis is achieved by applying some drugs to relax the ciliary muscle, and then the eye test is performed to get accurate results. This type of drug is clinically called "ciliary muscle paralytics." Myopic children usually have three results after using this type of drug: pseudomyopia, mixed myopia, and true myopia.

Fog vision is achieved by adding a hyperopic lens in front of the eyes to achieve a state of "blurred vision". At this time, the brain will command the ciliary muscle to adjust this state. When the brain finds that the adjustment of the ciliary muscle cannot improve the blurry state, it will give the ciliary muscle a "rest" command to relax the ciliary muscle. However, since the muscle itself has tension, this method cannot completely eliminate the influence of adjustment. For children and teenagers with strong adjustment ability, fog vision often cannot achieve the ideal effect.

"False myopia" is called "false" because it is reversible; after the ciliary muscle relaxes, this part of myopia disappears. In fact, the proportion of false myopia is very low, and it usually exists in two situations: 1. Myopia that has just occurred; 2. Myopia increases a lot in a short period of time. At this time, mydriasis or fogging is needed for identification, and myopia that still exists after relaxing the ciliary muscle is true myopia.

For newly discovered myopia, you should go to a regular medical institution as soon as possible to use the above two methods to identify it, and then wear appropriate glasses according to the examination results. Don't blindly engage in so-called "visual training" or "physical therapy". Come to the hospital and listen to the doctor's advice. (Lv Tianbin, deputy chief physician of the Optometry Center of Henan Provincial Eye Hospital)