Can children get dry eyes, too?

With the arrival of winter vacation, the number of children's ophthalmology outpatient visits has increased significantly. Many parents bring their children to the hospital for eye examinations, and "frequent blinking" has become one of the most frequently mentioned issues by parents. Does a child who blinks frequently mean he is myopic? The answer is: not necessarily!

During clinical consultations, many children were found to have dry eye syndrome after professional examinations. That is, they blink frequently because their eyes are dry. "Isn't dry eye syndrome something that only adults get? How can children get it too?" Many people think that dry eye syndrome only occurs in adults, but this is not the case. With the change of lifestyle such as the use of electronic products, children and adolescents are becoming a high-risk group for dry eye syndrome.

What are the common causes of dry eyes in children?

1. Allergies

The most common is allergic conjunctivitis, the incidence of allergic conjunctivitis in children in my country is as high as 28%, and there is an increasing trend year by year. Since allergic conjunctivitis often recurs, it leads to chronic inflammation of the ocular surface, damages the goblet cells that secrete proteins on the ocular surface, and rubbing the eyes when it itches during an attack can also cause the meibomian glands to twist and deform, all of which are likely to cause dry eyes.

2. Use electronic products

Normal people blink 15-20 times per minute, but when we stare at the screen to work or study, we only blink 5 times per minute. When children use electronic products, they blink less, the incidence of incomplete blinking increases, and the tear evaporation speed is accelerated, which can lead to various eye discomfort symptoms.

Therefore, some children will have red eyes and tears when using electronic products, and will blink frequently after using electronic products. In the long run, if electronic products are used for a long time, the meibomian glands, the structures that secrete oil in the child's eyelids, may atrophy, and dry eye symptoms will appear and gradually worsen, developing from a functional problem to an organic problem.

3. Refractive error (myopia, hyperopia, astigmatism)

The outermost surface of our eyes is not the cornea, but the transparent tear film. The refractive state of the eye will affect the stability of the tear film. The stability of the tear film determines whether dry eye symptoms will occur. When children's myopia and hyperopia are not corrected, they are prone to visual fatigue, and may even cause chronic inflammatory reactions on the ocular surface and changes in blinking frequency. These factors will directly affect the stability of the tear film. Children with astigmatism have irregular corneal surfaces and greater tear film tension, resulting in unstable tear film.