6 things you should do to protect your eyes, each one is important!

It is the beginning of another school year, and students have started their busy study life. To ensure a high quality of life, eye health is particularly important, and myopia has become the most common problem affecting the eye health of children and adults in my country.

Survey data from the second half of 2018 showed that the overall myopia rate among children in my country was 53.6%. Among them, the myopia rate among kindergarten children was 14.5%, the myopia rate among primary school students was 36.0%, the myopia rate among junior high school students was 71.6%, and the myopia rate among high school students was 81.0%. The myopia rate is gradually increasing, and the number of myopic people around the world is also increasing year by year. Myopia prevention and control work is imminent. [1]

This article will talk about how to prevent myopia and protect eye health. The suggestions mentioned in the article are not only suitable for children, but also for adults.

Reduce screen time

Nowadays, electronic products such as computers, mobile phones, televisions, and tablets are very common. While these products bring convenience to people's lives, they also bring certain negative effects.

Image source: Tuchong Creative

Especially under the influence of the epidemic, in order to cooperate with the prevention and control of the epidemic, most schools have adopted online teaching and network teaching, which has further increased the screen time of children and teenagers. The busy 996 work has led to adults using electronic products for longer time every day.

In a survey in Tianjin, the rate of poor eyesight among teenagers who used mobile phones and tablets was higher than that of those who did not use them; the rate of poor eyesight among teenagers who used mobile phones and tablets for more than one hour a day exceeded 50%. [2] Therefore, for the sake of healthy eyesight, children under the age of two should not be exposed to any electronic screen products, and children aged 2 to 5 should not be exposed to electronic screens for more than one hour a day.

For students who need to take online classes and adults who have work needs, try to use computers with larger screens to study and work, avoid using mobile phones with relatively small screens at close range, and the less time you spend looking at electronic screens, the better.

Increase outdoor exercise

Most students ignore the importance of outdoor sports for the sake of study and adults for the sake of work.

Current epidemiological surveys have shown that a higher risk of myopia is associated with insufficient time spent outdoors. Children who spend more time outdoors have a lower myopia rate. For every additional hour of outdoor activity per week, the risk of myopia decreases by about 2%. [1]

Another three-year study from Guangzhou, my country, showed that if children and adolescents increased their outdoor activities by 40 minutes per day, their myopia rate would drop by 20%. [2]

In addition, sufficient outdoor activities can promote the synthesis of vitamin D in the body. Studies have shown that there is a correlation between the concentration of vitamin D and the incidence of myopia, which can reduce the risk of refractive error and high myopia. However, the results of studies on the relationship between vitamin D and myopia are inconsistent and need further confirmation. [1, 2] Therefore, it is recommended to avoid letting children stay still for more than 1 hour, and try to go to the playground during breaks. They should do at least 1 hour of outdoor exercise every day, and preferably 2 hours.

Keeping your eyes at a distance while reading is considered close-range learning and work. Working at close range for too long may cause changes in the refractive state of the eyes, resulting in elongation of the eye axis and promoting the occurrence of myopia.

When reading or writing, the principle of "one foot, one fist, one inch" should be followed. my country's "Guidelines for the Prevention and Treatment of Myopia" recommends that the distance between the eyes and the book should be greater than one foot, or 33.3 cm, for no more than 45 minutes; the distance between the chest and the table should be one fist (6-7 cm); the finger holding the pen should be one inch (3.33 cm) away from the tip of the pen. [3]

If you are working on a computer, you should adhere to the "20-20-20" principle. For every 20 minutes of watching an electronic screen, turn your eyes to a place at least 20 feet (about 6 meters) away and look at it for at least 20 seconds. In addition, you should also pay attention to maintaining an upright sitting posture when reading and writing, and not read or look at your phone while walking, riding in a car, or lying down. If you are reading at night, the lighting should be sufficient, and the average illuminance of the desktop should not be less than 300 lux. [3] The desk lamp should be placed in front of the opposite side of the writing hand to avoid dim light affecting the refractive power and causing myopia.

Get enough sleep

Sleep is the body's process of self-regulation and repair. Staying up too late every day or having an irregular schedule will cause disruption to the physiological system.

Some studies have also suggested that lack of sleep and sleep disorders may lead to myopia in children. [1]

In addition, many people stay up late at night to watch electronic devices such as mobile phones and computers, and even browse electronic products without turning on the lights. Over time, this will lead to visual fatigue, dry eyes, and increase the risk of myopia.

Therefore, if you want to prevent myopia, you should also ensure adequate sleep. Maintain a regular work and rest schedule, ensuring that primary school students get 10 hours of sleep a day, junior high school students get 9 hours a day, and high school students get 8 hours a day. [1] Adults should get 7 to 8 hours of sleep a day.

Keep doing eye exercises

Eye exercises can relax the eyes. Clinical studies have shown that doing eye exercises can reduce accommodation lag and improve subjective visual fatigue compared to not doing eye exercises, thus helping to control myopia. [3]

Balanced diet

There is also some relationship between nutritional intake and prevention of myopia. Although there is no food that can prevent myopia, the key is to pay attention to balanced nutrition.

Vitamin A deficiency may lead to increased orbital pressure and longer eye axis length. Mild deficiency may lead to dry eyes, while severe deficiency may cause night blindness. Vitamin B2 deficiency may affect visual function. Calcium deficiency may reduce the elasticity of the sclera and its ability to resist pressure, causing the eye axis to lengthen and leading to axial myopia. [1]

Vitamin A supplement: Eat animal liver properly, such as pork liver 2-3 times a month, 1/4 goose egg size each time. Eat more dark vegetables such as spinach, carrots, broccoli, chicory, pumpkin, etc., because most dark vegetables are rich in beta-carotene, which can be converted into vitamin A in the body.

Vitamin B2: Mainly found in milk, animal food, whole grains and miscellaneous beans. Drink 300-500 ml of milk every day, eat 300-500 grams of livestock and poultry meat and fish, shrimp and shellfish each week, and the staple food should be a combination of coarse and fine (brown rice, miscellaneous bean rice, oatmeal rice, buckwheat rice, etc.).

Calcium: Milk, beans and green leafy vegetables are all good choices for calcium supplementation. Drink 300-500 ml of milk every day, or sugar-free yogurt. Eat 500 grams of vegetables every day. One fist of cooked green leafy vegetables is about 100 grams. Eat one fist of northern tofu or tofu shreds. Add the calcium in grains, nuts and other foods to basically meet the body's calcium needs.

If it is difficult to ensure a comprehensive diet, you can take dietary supplements to supplement your nutrition.

Summarize:

Protecting eye health is a key step to improve the quality of life. Wearing glasses is really inconvenient and will cause more trouble. I hope that both children and adults can protect their eyes as much as possible. A bright eye and a bright heart will bring a bright life!

References:

[1] Dong Bin, Zhang Fengyun, Pan Chenwei, Hu Peijin. Study on the myopia status of Chinese children[J]. Chinese Extracurricular Education, 2022(01):99-116.

[2] Ma Mingshen, Guan Wenying, Shen Ying, Sun Yi, Zhao Haixia. Research progress on the mechanism and environmental factors of myopia[J]. Journal of Inner Mongolia Medical University, 2022, 44(01): 76-81. DOI: 10.16343/j.cnki.issn.2095-512x.2022.01.005.

[3] National Health Commission of the People’s Republic of China. Guidelines for the prevention and treatment of myopia. 2018, 06.05

The article is produced by Science Popularization China-Starry Sky Project (Creation and Cultivation). Please indicate the source when reprinting.

Author: Xue Qingxin, one of the first nutrition instructors of the National Health Commission and a registered dietitian in China

Reviewer: Zhang Na, associate researcher and doctoral supervisor at the School of Public Health, Peking University