Let's start with a set of data:
The overall myopia rate of children and adolescents in China in 2020 is 52.7%;
From 2018 to 2020, the myopia rate in the first grade of primary school was about 14%, which was basically flat for three years and did not change much.
Monitoring in 2020 shows that the myopia rate of 6-year-old children across the country exceeds 9%, and the highest reaches 19.1%.
Heavy schoolwork, lack of outdoor sports, excessive use of electronic equipment, and various reasons have led to myopia has become a "national disease" on the mainland.
Heavy schooling? The state has introduced a "double reduction" policy;
Lack of outdoor sports? Almost all schools have now increased the proportion of physical education classes.
However, how to avoid excessive use of electronic devices?
Chen Ming, a contestant of "Strange Story", has a passage that makes the audience feel the same feeling and feel very helpless, he said: "When my daughter plays electronic products at home, as a father, she is particularly embarrassed, science and technology are advancing, and sooner or later my daughter will have to contact these, and her eyesight will also be affected."
Indeed, this is also a problem for many parents.
Zhao Wenhua, chief expert in nutrition at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said:
"For children aged 2 and under, it is not recommended to look at various screens."
Children are myopic,
What is the cause?
There is no very precise conclusion about the causes of myopia, but congenital inheritance and acquired improper use of the eyes are the main reasons.
Some people have done a lot of family statistics, and in all families where the parents are myopic, the percentage of myopia in their children is significantly higher than that of other families. If one parent has myopia, the myopia rate of the child is in the middle. If both parents do not have myopia, the child has the lowest rate of myopia.
Maybe you can say, but my parents are not short-sighted, why am I short-sighted? Will I still inherit it to my children?
The answer is: Yes.
Even if you have already had laser surgery the day after tomorrow, and your vision is corrected by surgery, without degrees, the possibility of myopia in your children will increase.
Another important reason is environmental factors.
A number of studies have found that the longer the outdoor activity time, the lower the incidence of myopia, compared with children with frequent outdoor activities, the incidence of myopia in children with short outdoor activities is 2 to 3 times higher.
In June 2020, the Ministry of Education surveyed 14,532 students (primary, junior and senior high) in 9 provinces and found that the myopia rate increased by 11.7% in half a year, and the more time spent looking at the screen, the higher the detection rate of myopia.
In addition to the lack of outdoor activities, children's eye habits are also very important, including the light of the environment, the posture of the eyes, the clarity of the screen and other factors. Therefore, it is difficult to say that by banning the use of screens, replacing them with reading books or other games, we can effectively reduce the incidence of myopia.
As a parent,
Should all electronic screens be eliminated?
All I can say is that it's really hard to do.
As Chen Ming said, the progress of science and technology has made it impossible to avoid using these screen devices in our lives. These electronic displays are not the original sin of myopia, nor are they flood beasts, the key is how to use them.
Looking at the screen leads to an increase in the rate of myopia, and the reason behind it is mainly the long-term close use of the eyes.
Parents should not ban mobile phones or iPads directly, no matter what they look at, it is more important to control the time.
Babies under the age of 2 need to absolutely avoid looking at electronic screens, and if they must video chat with relatives and friends, parents should try to reduce the time as much as possible.
Preschoolers should also not spend more than 1 hour of screen time per day. If your child needs to watch some cartoons, it is recommended that every 20 minutes of the show should stop to rest the eyes, or look into the distance to relieve eye fatigue.
In fact, it is not limited to looking at the screen, any close eye should be rested when it reaches 20 minutes, including reading picture books, riding Lego, and so on.
So, to show the child the screen, with what device does not hurt the eyes?
In fact, whether it is a child or an adult, if you want to try not to hurt your eyes, remember a principle: the screen is big enough, the picture is clear enough, and the distance is far enough.
If your baby wants to watch cartoons, the mother can try to cast the program on a clear TV or projector. The phone screen is too small, or avoid giving it to children.
Myopia is irreversible, and prevention is the key
Outdoor activities are the best and most economical way to prevent myopia. Outdoor activities for 2 hours a day or 10 hours per week can effectively prevent the occurrence of myopia. It would be better if you could accumulate more than 15 hours per week.
Outdoor activities don't have to be active, even if it's good to take your kids out for a walk. Studies have shown that for parents who have been myopic, taking their baby to outdoor activities for 10 hours a week can also play a protective role and prevent myopia from occurring.
Secondly, parents must have eye protection awareness, and regularly take their children to receive children's eye care and vision examinations during the child's 0-6 years old. The child's visual health is irreversible, through regular examination can understand the baby's farsighted reserves, when found that the farsightedness reserves are too low, you can intervene early, try to avoid premature myopia.
The baby's vision is slowly developed the day after tomorrow, the younger the age, the more easily the vision is damaged, if the parents do not protect the vision because of the day after tomorrow, regret is too late.