At present, the occurrence of myopia is becoming more and more common, and the overall myopia rate of mainland children and adolescents has reached 52.7% in 2023.
Generally, within 300 degrees is mild myopia, 300 to 600 degrees is moderately myopic, and above 600 degrees is called high myopia. But in 2015, the World Health Organization (WHO) defined more than 500 degrees as high myopia.
What kind of glasses should I wear?
Many parents asked: "The baby can still see the blackboard clearly, there is no need to wear glasses, right?" ”
If the child is diagnosed with true myopia after mydriasis refraction, reaching 100 degrees and above, then wear appropriate glasses to prevent the child from seeing far away and visual fatigue causing myopia to deepen faster.
If the myopia is below 100 degrees, the child's naked eye vision can reach 0.6 in one eye, 0.8 in both eyes, and the eye position and binocular vision are normal, and you can temporarily not wear glasses, but pay attention to adjusting eye habits, do targeted visual training, and review every 3 months.
But if the child is highly myopic, it is not just as simple as wearing thick lenses, even if the refraction is corrected, there is also the possibility of vision-threatening complications. Therefore, a semi-annual fundus examination is necessary to assess the macular morphology, fully dilated retinal examination, and evaluate the intraocular pressure and optic disc morphology; If there is a sudden increase in floaters, flashing light, curtain occlusion, blurred vision, visual field defects, etc., go to an ophthalmologist immediately; Do not do collision sports (such as basketball, football, etc.), do not play roller coasters, bungee jumping and other entertainment projects, do not rub your eyes violently, love your eyes, and develop good eye habits.
Children in the growth and development period, as their height and weight increase, their eyes also develop in the direction of myopia. Children and adolescents in the general development period increase 50~75 degrees per year, and the eye axis grows about 0.3 mm. If the child's myopia degree increases beyond this range, or the child begins to be myopic at the age of 10, and has a family history of high myopia, indicating that he is at risk of developing high myopia in adulthood, it is necessary to be vigilant and take measures as soon as possible to control the progression of myopia. Through the examination of professional doctors, combined with the children's own characteristics, parents can choose scientific methods to control myopia.
Can myopia surgery "cure" myopia?
Many parents will also consider myopia surgery for their children to solve the problem of unclear vision.
Myopia surgery is one of the commonly used ways to solve vision problems. However, myopia surgery does not cure myopia, it is only a way to correct vision.
Axis lengthening is one of the main causes of myopia, and too long an axial can lead to high myopia and fundus lesions, and there is currently no effective way to reverse the lengthening of the eye axis.
At present, there is no way to completely cure myopia, only a way to correct myopia. Correction methods usually include wearing glasses, soft contact lenses, orthokeratology lenses, etc. in optical methods, as well as corneal laser surgery and ICL implantation in refractive surgery.
At present, myopia correction surgery is mainly divided into two categories: corneal laser surgery and lens implantation. Before surgery, doctors need to undergo a rigorous preoperative examination to confirm whether the patient is eligible for myopia surgery and what kind of surgery is suitable for them.
People with myopia first need to complete a standardized preoperative examination to determine whether they meet the indications for surgery. The doctor will consider the patient's eye conditions and eye needs comprehensively, and customize a personalized myopia correction plan for the patient's "eye".
Is it OK to wear OK glasses if you are short-sighted?
OK lens, or orthokeratology lens, temporarily reduces corneal refractive power by flattening the cornea, improves naked eye vision during the day, and at the same time, can effectively control about 50% of myopia progression. Therefore, orthokeratology lenses are highly concerned by myopic children and adolescents and their parents.
However, wearing orthokeratology lenses has certain requirements for corneal morphology and myopia, usually requiring eye health, myopia degree is not higher than 600 degrees, and the recommended age for fitting is over 8 years old.
Source: Popular Science China, Shenzhen Health Commission, Healthy China, etc