Summer vacation is coming, "screen swiping" should be moderate to avoid "video terminal syndrome"

Staring at the flashing videos on the electronic screen, using hands and eyes to click on the keyboard... At present, mobile phones and tablets have become children's favorite "toys". Recently, reporters found through WeChat and other means that many parents said that their children prefer to play with electronic products. With the arrival of summer vacation, in addition to completing homework, children have more time to relax and play. But when using electronic devices, be careful of "video terminal syndrome".

How to plan a reasonable summer vacation schedule for children and avoid the harm of "video terminal syndrome"? On July 7, the 30th issue of the popular science Zhongyuan Baijia Tan, hosted by Henan Association for Science and Technology and organized by Dahe.com, specially invited two guests, Lv Tianbin, deputy chief physician of Henan Provincial Eye Hospital, and Wang Qihao, founder of Zhizhe Psychology and special psychological expert of Zhongyuan District Education Bureau, to teach everyone how to prevent "video terminal syndrome".

[Harm] Screen scrolling for more than 6 hours a day can easily lead to video terminal syndrome

With the advancement of science and technology, people are increasingly relying on various electronic devices, especially various video terminal display devices. Video terminals (VDT) such as mobile phones, computers, and televisions have penetrated into every corner of our daily lives. According to Lv Tianbin, deputy chief physician of Henan Provincial Eye Hospital, with the widespread use of VDT, VDT syndrome is becoming more and more common. Video terminal syndrome refers to a group of featureless symptoms caused by long-term operation and staring at the screen in front of the video terminal, including neurasthenia syndrome, shoulder-neck-wrist syndrome, eye symptoms, loss of appetite, constipation, decreased resistance, etc., and even has a certain impact on the endocrine system. Current research shows that among all the symptoms, the probability of eye symptoms is the highest (accounting for 72.1%), followed by 59.3% of people with neck and shoulder symptoms, 30% with back symptoms, and 13.9% with arm symptoms.

"Premature and excessive use of electronic video products will affect the development of vision and hearing. Children who are good at playing with mobile phones do not necessarily have strong hands-on skills." In this regard, Lv Tianbin gave an example to illustrate that building blocks is an activity in three-dimensional space, but the sliding of fingertips on the mobile phone screen is two-dimensional, which will hinder the development of hands-on ability. Current studies have found that VDT syndrome can cause abnormalities in eye function, musculoskeletal system, neurobehavioral function, immune function, and pregnancy and menstruation in women. The survey found that the proportion of people aged 15 to 25 who often play games, watch computers, and read books with electronic products reached 38.5%, and among these people, the proportion of people suffering from myopia and dry eyes is as high as 45.3%. Frequent viewing of video terminals can also cause blinding eye diseases such as glaucoma and macular degeneration.

If you use electronic screens for a long time, more than 6 hours a day, about 70% of people will develop video terminal syndrome, and dry eyes are the most prominent. The main eye symptoms include visual fatigue, dry eyes, itchy eyes, burning foreign body sensation, blurred vision, decreased vision, worsening myopia, eye pain, orbital pain, etc.

[Cause] Early and excessive use of electronic products is one of the causes of myopia in preschool children

With the development of electronic products and the Internet, video terminal syndrome has a tendency to occur at a younger age. Many children have been exposed to electronic products such as televisions, mobile phones, and tablets since they were young. These products have even become early education tools. So at what age should children start to be exposed to electronic products, and what precautions should be taken? In this regard, Lv Tianbin said that the premature and excessive use of electronic products is one of the causes of myopia in the preschool period. In order to protect children's eyesight, parents should follow the "3, 6, 9, 12" rule, that is, children cannot use electronic products before the age of 3; children cannot use electronic game consoles before the age of 6; strictly control the time children use electronic products before the age of 9; try not to let children browse the web alone before the age of 12.

For young children, the exposure time of electronic products should be controlled to no more than 20 minutes a day. Try to choose a large screen, and the picture quality should be clear and stable. The distance between the person and the computer should be more than three meters (or more than 5 times the diagonal of the TV screen); the height of the screen should be parallel to or slightly lower than the line of sight of the person watching the screen, and it should not be too far off the angle, within 30 degrees. The brightness of the electronic screen should be appropriate, not too bright or too dark; the indoor light should be sufficient, and the difference between light and dark should not be too large. Eat more foods rich in vitamin A, such as carrots, citrus, animal liver, tomatoes, red dates, cabbage, etc., as appropriate, which can reduce the consumption of rhodopsin, a photosensitive substance on the retina, which is beneficial to protecting eyesight, and maintain 2 hours of outdoor activities every day. Go to a regular ophthalmology hospital regularly to check your eyesight and eye health.

[Impact] Internet addiction affects children's ability to judge reality, socialize, and learn.

In addition to the harm to health, video terminal syndrome is also the focus of family conflicts during the summer vacation. Wang Qihao, founder of Zhizhe Psychology and special psychologist invited by the Zhongyuan District Education Bureau, said that there is no diagnosis of Internet addiction in psychiatry, so the term Internet addiction cannot be used to label children. You can use the judgment criteria of behavioral addiction to make a comparison to see if your child has Internet addiction. Performance 1: Strong desire, knowing that it will cause damage to your physical health, life, study, and work, but still can't help wanting to do it. Performance 2: It is difficult to quit, and you want to quit subjectively, but always give up halfway. Performance 3: Tolerance reaction, the so-called tolerance reaction means that your demand for this item will continue to increase. Because the original dose can no longer achieve the reward effect. For example, the time spent playing with mobile phones needs to be continuously increased to get satisfaction. Performance 4: Withdrawal reaction. After the addictive behavior is interrupted, the body and mind will have obvious reactions. Irritability, body spasms, neuralgic pain, etc. If mobile games are suddenly interrupted, some children may have a greater emotional reaction.

"Internet addiction will have a great impact on a child's normal life and study. It will affect the child's real-life judgment ability, real-life social skills, emotional management ability, real sense of goals, learning ability, etc." Wang Qihao said.

[Suggestion] "Screen scrolling" can reduce the damage to eyes caused by electronic screens

How to alleviate the damage of electronic screens to the eyes? Lv Tianbin puts forward six suggestions:

1. The distance from the screen should be far, the screen should be large, and the picture quality should be clear.

2. Correct posture. It is most suitable to look down about 30 degrees, at least 10 to 20 degrees, and the screen should be slightly tilted backwards. In addition, the body should be straight. When watching mobile phones or using computers, the screen position needs to be adjusted so that the distance from the screen to the eyes is controlled at 40 to 70 cm. The line of sight should be slightly downward to form a certain angle, and the screen brightness should be adjusted to avoid excessive light causing high tension or reduction of the optic nerve.

3. Arrange your eye use time properly. For every 20 minutes of eye use, you can turn your eyes to a distance of 6 meters and relax for 20 seconds. Every 40 minutes, you should let your eyes rest for 10 minutes and relax by gazing into the distance.

4. Increase the frequency of blinking. When using electronic screens, the number of blinks is significantly reduced, so you should consciously blink more and increase the frequency of blinking. It should be emphasized here that you must blink completely, that is, the upper and lower eyelids should touch completely when blinking, only in this way can an effective tear film be formed.

5. Choose the right lighting. Pay special attention to avoid shadows with strong contrast, glare, or strobe. Too bright or too dark an environment can easily cause visual fatigue.

6. Wear protective glasses to reduce the irritation of blue light from the screen to the eyes.

【Treatment】Relieve eye discomfort and protect patients' vision

How should we deal with the situation where video terminal syndrome has caused eye damage? Lv Tianbin said that dry eyes and visual fatigue caused by medium- and long-term exposure to video terminals are very common. The goal of treatment is to relieve eye discomfort symptoms on the one hand, and to protect the patient's visual function and vision on the other.

(1) Eliminate the cause. Avoid long-term exposure to video. Do not neglect appropriate outdoor activities due to the hot summer. It is recommended to participate in outdoor activities for at least 2 hours a day in the shade in the morning.

(2) Medication. Do not buy eye drops on your own, including some popular online eye drops or even eye washes purchased from a certain country. These drops may temporarily make your eyes feel comfortable, but they cannot replace treatment. You must go to a regular ophthalmology hospital and let the doctor determine whether treatment is needed and what treatment plan to take.

(3) Psychological intervention. Strengthen popular science propaganda, pay attention to eye time while relaxing during the holidays, avoid prolonged exposure to video terminals, and choose the right hobbies to spend a happy holiday.

(4) Lifestyle intervention: Ensure adequate sleep, eat more foods rich in vitamin A, and do more outdoor activities.

【Prevention】Adjust family interaction patterns to prevent Internet addiction

In order to prevent Internet addiction and let teenagers use mobile phones and computers moderately during the summer vacation, what effective measures should parents take? Wang Qihao made four suggestions:

(1) Adjust the family interaction model and change the parent-child relationship from management (power orientation) to cooperation (democracy orientation). Parents should tolerate some of the "unsatisfactory" aspects of their children's growth, give their children space to explore their own boundaries, and provide help when appropriate.

(2) It is better to loosen up than to restrict. It is not about absolute prohibition or absolute indulgence, but about helping children establish rules and order.

(3) Enter the child's world. Do not simply intervene in the child's behavior in a simple and rough manner. Instead, try to understand the psychological needs behind the behavior. When the child's inner emotional needs are met, the child's behavior will naturally adjust and change. Parents should help the child by understanding and supporting him/her.

(4) Encourage children to participate in meaningful social activities and outdoor sports, and develop more emotional exchanges between parents and children and among peers.

If the child has shown a tendency to be addicted to the Internet, parents need to explore the child's real psychological needs behind this behavior. Instead of just controlling the behavior, parents should communicate with the child first and have more emotional exchanges with the child. Let the child be encouraged and supported, and let him or her naturally balance the Internet with real responsibilities. Often, children who do not receive support will further retreat to the Internet world and be unable to face real responsibilities.