@BaoDadBaoMom, does a child who can't see clearly mean he is nearsighted? Maybe...

Huahua (pseudonym) is 7 years old this year. Since he started primary school, Huahua's mother, Ms. Wang, has noticed that he is very slow in doing his homework and often writes in series. When she was helping him with his homework, she found that he always tilted his head when reading textbooks. Ms. Wang was worried that there was something wrong with her child's eyes, so she quickly took Huahua to the Aier Eye Hospital affiliated to Wuhan University for treatment.

After dilating the pupil, it was found that Huahua had 600 degrees of myopia in his left eye, and the corrected visual acuity could only reach 0.4. After excluding the possibility of organic eye disease, Huahua was diagnosed with "anisometropia amblyopia". "I thought it was just ordinary myopia, and I never thought that the child would actually have amblyopia." Ms. Wang said.

Cai Chunyan, deputy chief physician, master's tutor, deputy leader of the strabismus and pediatric ophthalmology group in Hubei Province of Aier Eye Hospital Group, and deputy director of strabismus and pediatric ophthalmology at Aier Eye Hospital affiliated to Wuhan University, said: "Compared with myopia, amblyopia is more harmful. Myopia can be corrected by wearing glasses, surgery, etc., but if amblyopia is not treated and intervened in time, it will not only lead to poor vision and cannot be corrected, but also lead to abnormal stereoscopic vision, which may have a lifelong impact on children."

What is amblyopia?

Amblyopia is a decrease in corrected visual acuity of one or both eyes due to abnormal visual experience (monocular strabismus, anisometropia, high refractive error and form deprivation) during the period of visual development, with no organic lesions found during eye examination.

What is the difference between amblyopia and myopia?

Difference 1

With proper correction of myopia, the visual acuity with glasses can reach normal, while even with correct correction of amblyopia, the visual acuity with glasses cannot reach the minimum corrected visual acuity for the corresponding age.

Difference 2

Myopia means that you can see clearly at close range but not at far distance, and the image of the object falls in front of the retina. Amblyopia means that you can't see clearly at close range or at far distance.

Difference Three

Myopia is usually caused by heredity or prolonged use of the eyes at close range. Amblyopia is caused by abnormal visual experience during the visual development period, which leads to abnormal development of the eyeball and is a kind of delayed visual function development.

Dai Hongbin, chief physician, member of the Standing Committee of the Ophthalmology Committee of Hubei Provincial Association of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and director of the Department of Strabismus and Pediatric Ophthalmology of Aier Eye Hospital affiliated to Wuhan University, reminds that children with amblyopia may have tilted heads and squinted eyes, blinked frequently, had unstable gait, poor concentration, poor hand-eye coordination, and handwriting out of grid, etc. Once parents find such a situation, they should pay attention to it and take their children to the hospital for treatment as soon as possible to avoid missing the opportunity for correction.