If children don’t take good care of their myopia prevention and control now, it will be too late when they develop severe myopia!

According to data from the National Health Commission, the overall incidence of myopia among children and adolescents in my country is 53.6%, of which more than 80% of high school students are myopic. As vision screening in primary and secondary schools progresses, this data has caused many parents to worry secretly. What is even more worrying is that if children accidentally develop high myopia, there may be more risks!

High myopia

Clinically speaking, myopia of more than 600 degrees is considered high myopia. But the more important indicator is the axial length. Because the axial length is long, it is more likely to cause thinning of the retina and a higher risk of fundus disease. For people with the same 600-degree myopia, if the corneal curvature is different, the axial length will be different. If the cornea is flatter, then his axial length will be longer, and the risk of fundus damage will be relatively higher.

Risk of disease

We compare the eyeball to a balloon. The lengthening of the eye axis is like blowing too much air into a balloon. The balloon wall will inevitably become thinner. The lengthening of the eye axis in patients with high myopia may cause some changes in the fundus. Some are not so serious, such as posterior scleral staphyloma, leopard-like fundus, myopic atrophy arc of the optic disc, etc., which do not affect vision much. However, if macular foveal hemorrhage, subretinal neovascularization, etc. occur, it will affect vision. In addition, vitreous liquefaction, posterior vitreous detachment, retinal peripheral lattice changes, macular holes, etc. may also occur, leading to retinal detachment. The risk of cataracts and glaucoma in high myopia will also increase significantly. Therefore, people with high myopia should check the fundus every year, and if problems are found, intervention and treatment can be carried out in advance.

About Sports

Tianjin University Aier Eye Hospital kindly reminds you that if there is no problem with the annual fundus examination, but the degree is high, then you can do it like the average person. If the retina has begun to thin, you should pay more attention. It is not recommended to participate in sports such as diving, bungee jumping, and boxing. It is also recommended not to participate in confrontational sports such as basketball and football. Also, you need to be careful about heavy physical labor, such as lifting heavy objects; you should proceed step by step when doing weight-bearing equipment exercises; brisk walking, swimming, yoga and other less intense sports are more suitable.

Genetic risk

If both parents are severely myopic, then the possibility of their child being myopic is very high.

Eye protection measures

Reducing the time you use your eyes is the key. If you can't do that, then reduce the continuous time you use your eyes and increase the frequency of rest. A relatively simple method is the 20-20-20 principle. That is, after using your eyes at close range for 20 minutes, look 20 feet away and gaze into the distance for more than 20 seconds. You can adjust the indoor lighting, it will be better if it is a little brighter. Especially if you use your phone before going to bed, you must turn on a night light. Also pay attention to increasing the indoor humidity. If the symptoms of dryness and fatigue are indeed obvious, you can also use artificial tears or a steam eye mask to improve it. Another thing is to go to bed early and have a regular schedule.

Fundus lesions

The eye axis of patients with high myopia will become longer. During this process, a part of the eyeball called the "vitreous body" will also be stretched and deformed, making it more likely for vitreous liquefaction to occur. When some uneven liquid or turbidity appears in the vitreous body, these shadows will be projected onto the retina, and when you look at things, you will feel as if there are dark shadows floating in front of your eyes. This is floaters. Generally speaking, physiological floaters can be ignored, and you don't need to pay attention to it deliberately. However, if the number of dark shadows has suddenly increased recently, and is accompanied by a sense of flashing, you need to pay attention to whether retinal detachment is about to occur, and you should go to the hospital as soon as possible.

In general, high myopia is a high risk, so parents must pay more attention to their children's eyes. If your child does not have high myopia yet, you need to try to prevent him from becoming highly myopic. If your child already has high myopia, you need to have regular checkups to prevent the risk of complications from high myopia.