Protecting our "light" - preventing myopia, you and I are together

Author: Xu Wang, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University

Liao Rongrong Zhujiang Hospital of Southern Medical University

Reviewer: Fan Yuwen, Chief Physician, Chenzhou Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Hunan Province

Chen Hanxi, Chief Nurse, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital

Myopia has become a common phenomenon in today's society, especially among children and adolescents, and the incidence of myopia is rising year by year. With the rapid development of social economy and science and technology, we spend more and more time facing electronic screens every day, and many people ignore the importance of standardized eye use. Today, we will help everyone deeply understand and remember the prevention methods of myopia in an easy-to-understand way, and protect our precious "light".

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The formation of myopia is often related to bad eye habits. When you habitually work at a desk, or stare at a computer or mobile phone screen for hours, or read for a long time under dim light, you may not realize that these irregular eye use methods are quietly eroding your eyesight. They are all the "culprits" causing your vision loss. When we stare at nearby objects for a long time, the ciliary muscles of the eyes will continue to contract, causing the eyeball to become longer, and the focus cannot be accurately focused on the retina, eventually forming myopia. Myopia not only affects our quality of life, but may even cause serious eye diseases such as retinal detachment and glaucoma.

As myopia increases, the things we see become increasingly blurred, and this blurred vision makes people unconsciously squint and frown in an attempt to see the objects in front of them clearly. However, these actions do not help us achieve clear vision, but instead increase eye fatigue.

Different degrees of myopia can make our perception of the world very different.

Low myopia (0-300 degrees): distant objects are blurry, but close objects are still clear.

Moderate myopia (300-600 degrees): Even close objects begin to become unclear.

High myopia (more than 600 degrees): Whether you are looking at distant or near objects, they are almost always blurred.

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So how to control and prevent myopia?

In fact, myopia can be controlled and prevented by changing bad eye habits and using eyes scientifically.

(1) Maintain a regular work and rest schedule and get enough sleep

Long-term use of the eyes can cause eye fatigue. Sufficient sleep helps the eyes repair themselves. Try to ensure 8 hours of high-quality sleep every day, which is not only good for our eyes, but also improves overall health.

In addition, we should follow the principle of "use eyes for 1 hour, rest for 5 minutes" to avoid long-term continuous use of eyes. You can use the rest time to look into the distance to relax your eyes.

(2) Eye exercises to relieve eye fatigue

Everyone may have done eye exercises! Eye exercises are not "useless". On the contrary, they can effectively relieve eye muscle fatigue and promote blood circulation in the eyes. In daily life, insisting on doing eye exercises, especially for students and workers who use their eyes for a long time, can help keep eyes healthy.

Eye exercises include pressing the acupuncture points around the eye sockets to relax the eye muscles to improve eye comfort. Doing it once in the morning and evening for a few minutes can be very helpful in preventing myopia.

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(3) Supplement eye protection nutrition, taking care of both inside and outside

Healthy eyes cannot be separated from balanced nutrition intake. Foods rich in vitamin A, vitamin C and vitamin E, such as carrots, spinach, blueberries, etc., are rich in antioxidants, which can slow down the damage of free radicals to the eyes, thereby reducing the risk of vision loss.

In addition to food, taking eye-protecting nutrients in moderation is also a good choice. Vitamin A is particularly important for maintaining eye health, and supplements rich in lutein and zeaxanthin can protect the retina and prevent macular degeneration.

(4) Correct sitting posture and healthy eye use

Whether you are working, studying or having fun, maintaining a correct sitting posture is crucial to preventing myopia. Sitting too close to a book or screen will put too much pressure on your eyes, which can easily lead to myopia in the long run.

The height of tables and chairs should be appropriate: keep a distance of 30 to 40 cm between eyes and books or screens.

Adequate and soft light: Insufficient light can easily cause excessive eye fatigue, while strong light can cause glare. Choose a soft light source and ensure that the light in the work area is evenly distributed.

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What are the common misunderstandings about myopia prevention and control?

Myth 1: Myopia only occurs in children and adolescents

In fact, myopia does not only occur in children and teenagers. Adults also face the risk of vision loss if they face electronic devices such as computers and mobile phones for a long time.

Myth 2: Wearing myopia glasses will increase myopia

Many people believe that wearing glasses will worsen their myopia, but in fact, glasses are a tool for correcting vision. The worsening of myopia is related to lifestyle and eye habits. Scientifically wearing glasses will not lead to worsening of vision.

Myth 3: Eating more carrots can cure myopia

The vitamin A in carrots is indeed good for eye health, but it cannot reverse myopia that has already occurred. Vitamin A supplementation can only improve the overall health of the eyes, not treat myopia.

In today's highly developed information age, electronic devices are everywhere, and it is particularly important to maintain healthy eye habits. Through regular work and rest, healthy diet, correct sitting posture and eye exercises, we can effectively prevent and control myopia. The prevention of myopia is never a trivial matter. Let us start from today, start with small habits, and protect our precious "light".

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