Weekly Science | Key points for myopia prevention and control in winter

Why does children’s myopia increase faster in winter?

There are three main reasons:

(1) In winter, the nights are long and the days are short, the daytime sunshine time is short, and the indoor illumination is poor.

(2) The weather is cold in winter, and students spend less time outdoors.

(3) Under the first two conditions, the intensity of children's eye use remains unchanged.

The time spent on outdoor activities has decreased, and the time exposed to sunlight is shorter. At the same time, the intensity of students' eye use has not decreased, resulting in a relatively rapid increase in myopia in winter.

Key points for myopia prevention and control in winter

Maintain good eye habits and spend plenty of time outdoors.

Adhere to the principle of “one fist, one foot, one inch”: your eyes should be one foot away from the book, your chest should be one fist away from the edge of the table, and your fingers holding the pen should be one inch away from the tip of the pen.

Adhere to the "20-20-20" rule: after every 20 minutes of close eye use, look at something 20 feet (about 6 meters) away for 20 seconds.

Spend 2 hours outdoors every day to allow your eyes to fully soak up the sun.

Ensure adequate sleep, eat a light diet and avoid sweet and greasy foods.

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1. Strengthen visual training and relieve visual fatigue

Visual training is a way of training the eyes and brain. It retrains the relationship between the brain and the eyes, just like doing eye exercises. It is a continuous stimulation and training of the visual neurocognitive system of the brain. Visual training is an effective way to improve adjustment and reduce visual fatigue.

For example: After a child studies for 1-2 hours, his eyes will feel tired. In fact, it is because the ciliary muscle, the muscle responsible for focusing movement in the child’s eyes, is fatigued. It cannot produce effective movement, and the eyes cannot focus.

Focusing is driven by the movement of the ciliary muscles, and the strength, speed, and amplitude of the muscles can be trained. You can effectively improve focusing and reduce eye fatigue by effectively training the ciliary muscles, changing their working state, increasing muscle strength and movement speed and amplitude.

Vision training is not aimed at improving naked eye vision, but is a set of eye training methods developed according to the specific eye conditions of the trainee. The vision training program varies from person to person, and its purpose is to promote eye movement so that vision can be produced subconsciously when needed and can be cleverly coordinated with other visual functions, thereby meeting the training requirements of the eyeball.

Note: It is recommended that home-based vision training be performed at home after consulting a doctor, and consolidation vision training is recommended to be performed in professional venues such as hospitals, clinics, and optometry studios.

3. Configure eye protection desk lamp

The sun sets early in winter, and when there is insufficient light in the evening and after dark, you should use a desk lamp for auxiliary lighting.

The desk lamp should be placed in front of the opposite side of the child's writing hand. When the child reads or writes at night, turn on the desk lamp and the ceiling light in the room at the same time.

Do not use naked lights, that is, tubes and bulbs. Instead, use light sources protected by lampshades to avoid glare to children's eyes.

Choose a desk lamp that suits the lighting environment and human eye comfort.

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For details, please refer to the 2017 "Performance Requirements for Reading and Writing Desk Lamps"

4. Special reminder: It is not recommended for children under 2 years old to watch various screens

According to the "Physical Activity Guidelines for Chinese Population (2021)":

Children 2 years and younger engage in various forms of interactive play with their caregivers every day;

Young children who can walk independently should engage in at least 180 minutes of physical activity every day;

The restricted time shall not exceed 1 hour each time;

It is not recommended to look at various screens.

5. Eat more eye-protecting foods

Adding more fresh vegetables and fruits rich in vitamins A, B, and C to your daily diet, such as green peppers, tomatoes, grapefruit, carrots, blueberries, etc., can play a good role in nutrition, protection, and enhancing retinal metabolism. People who use their eyes frequently can eat more of these eye-protecting foods.

Children's Vision Health Science Museum

Children's Vision Health Science Popularization Base in China