Why did my child suddenly become nearsighted? Is there any panacea for myopia?

My child can’t read clearly. Is he nearsighted?

Can it be recovered quickly?

My vision was 1.0 before, how come it suddenly became only 0.5?



Aier Eye Hospital Affiliated to Wuhan University

Will be held on December 10, 2021

2021 Myopia Prevention and Control Science Popularization Doctor Volunteer Team Establishment Conference

Popular Science Lecture on Myopia Prevention and Control for Teenagers

In the communication between parents and doctors

Many parents have a wrong understanding of their children's myopia

This will have a great impact on the prevention and control of myopia in children.

How many of the following misconceptions do you have?

Myth 1: Why did my child suddenly become myopic?

In fact, children’s myopia does not happen overnight.

Every child is hyperopic when they are born. As they grow older and their body develops, their eye axis gradually grows and their vision changes from hyperopia to emmetropia. However, if a child's hyperopia reserve is consumed too much and their eye axis grows too fast, the child may become myopic.

Therefore, Dai Hongbin, chief physician, standing committee member of the Ophthalmology Branch of the Hubei Association of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and director of strabismus, amblyopia and pediatric ophthalmology, recommends that children should go to a professional ophthalmology hospital for a comprehensive optometry examination every year starting from the age of 3, establish a refractive development file, check whether the refractive power, axial length, corneal curvature and other data are normal, conduct a refractive development assessment for the child, discover the child's vision development trend, intervene early, and scientifically prevent and control myopia.

At the same time, it can also check whether the child has myopia, hyperopia, astigmatism, strabismus, amblyopia or other eye diseases. 0-6 years old is the critical period for the development of children's vision. If eye abnormalities can be detected early, it will be more conducive to treatment.

Myth 2: If a child's vision is less than 1.0, he or she must be nearsighted?

Many parents get very anxious when they hear that their children's vision is less than 1.0, and immediately take their children to get glasses. In fact, this idea is wrong. Because the normal value standard of children's vision is different from that of adults. Generally speaking, it takes about 6 years old for vision development to be nearly complete, and most can reach 1.0. In addition, whether a child's vision development is normal cannot be determined by a simple eye chart test alone. It also needs to be comprehensively judged based on a lot of data, and there may be some other eye diseases. Therefore, we recommend that parents take their children to a professional ophthalmology hospital to check their vision.

Myth 3: Is there any panacea for children's myopia?

At present, if a child is diagnosed with true myopia, it is impossible to restore vision through medication, injections, or massage. This is because most myopia patients have axial myopia, and the eye axis cannot be shortened after it has grown, just like a person who has grown taller cannot be made shorter.

Therefore, once true myopia is diagnosed, the correct approach is to go to a professional ophthalmology hospital for timely and scientific correction, rather than blindly believing in some other methods.

Correct answer: Scientific prevention and control is the key to children's myopia!