The latest monitoring data shows that in 2022, the overall myopia rate of children and adolescents in mainland China will be 51.9%, a decrease of 0.7 percentage points from 52.6% in 2021. Children's vision problems have attracted the attention of parents, and many parents have such questions: Can the myopia that has occurred be recovered? Recently, the reporter's investigation found that on the Internet, there are many short videos and advertisements that mention that vision can be restored, is this true? Are those Internet celebrity products that claim to be able to restore vision reliable?
The network anchor said that it can "treat myopia" Myopia correction device is on sale
After the reporter searched for "vision restoration" as a keyword on the Internet, dozens of short videos appeared in an instant. In the video, the different anchors demonstrate various ways to "restore" their vision. Some claim that they can "cure myopia" by turning their eyes, some say that they will teach you to restore your vision in one minute, and even more say that their massage techniques "cure eye diseases". The most amazing thing is that there is not only a vision recovery method from 600 degrees of myopia to 150 degrees in the video, but also an anchor who has gone from 600 degrees of myopia to taking off his glasses. In the short video, the anchor introduced it like this.
A network anchor: In order to give you a better explanation, I have strengthened my vision practice in the past half a month, so that my vision can finally see 4.9.
The reporter also found that not only the short video of vision restoration, but also the myopia correction instruments on the network are also diverse. A few years ago, Ms. Wang from Nanchang, Jiangxi Province, discovered that her daughter's eyes were myopia, and in order to help her child recover her vision, she tried to seek medical treatment offline while also looking for various products and courses on the Internet.
Ms. Wang showed reporters all kinds of products purchased on the Internet in recent years, ranging from thousands to tens of thousands of eye care products, but she said that these products actually do not have much practical effect.
Can the "Love Your Eyes Center" really cure myopia?
The reporter found that in addition to the so-called myopia correction instrument, there are many so-called eye care centers, in the name of "curing" myopia, hyping on the Internet, selling classes and products.
The reporter randomly queried on the Internet with "eye care center" as the keyword, and found that there were many related eye care institutions, and after the reporter randomly dialed the phone number of a related institution, the staff told the reporter that mild myopia can restore vision after the application of related products.
Not long ago, the short video of "myopia reduced from 800 degrees to 100 degrees" was on the hot search, and anchors with different identities demonstrated various "recovery" methods. In this regard, the China Association for Science and Technology pointed out through the official account "Science Refutation of Rumors" that the content spread on the Internet is actually pseudoscience.
As early as March 26, 2019, the National Health Commission, the Ministry of Education and other departments jointly issued the "Notice on Further Regulating the Correction of Myopia in Children and Adolescents and Effectively Strengthening the Supervision", which requires that institutions or individuals engaged in myopia correction in children and adolescents must practice and operate in strict accordance with the law, and shall not use expressions such as "rehabilitation", "recovery", "reduction of degree", "myopia cure" and "myopia buster" to mislead myopic children, adolescents and parents in the external publicity of myopia correction.
Song Hongxin, Deputy Director of the Ophthalmology Medical Optometry Center of Beijing Tongren Hospital: With the increase of eye use, the eye axis is getting longer and longer, and the degree of myopia is increasing at this time. Anything that can promote the cure of myopia and the cure of myopia is false propaganda and must not be believed. Therefore, I am here to emphasize with the majority of parents and friends that once myopia occurs, what can be done now can only delay the occurrence of myopia, but not cure myopia.
What are the benefits of low-concentration atropine sulfate eye drops?
In addition, some people say that drops of eye drops can help children delay the development of myopia, and this eye drop is low-concentration atropine. A few days ago, the official website of the State Drug Administration announced that the 0.01% atropine sulfate eye drops produced by domestic companies had been approved for marketing on March 5, and many parents were very concerned about low-concentration atropine as a "remedial drug" for myopia. So, what are the benefits of this atropine sulfate eye drops, and is it suitable for everyone?
According to medical staff, the mechanism of action of atropine sulfate eye drops with different concentrations is different, and 1% of high-concentration atropine sulfate eye drops are used as pupil dilation drugs in clinical practice. In recent years, studies have found that 0.01% low-concentration atropine sulfate eye drops can be used to delay the progression of myopia in children and adolescents.
Song Hongxin, Deputy Director of the Ophthalmology Center of Beijing Tongren Hospital: It can increase the secretion of dopamine in our eyes, which is a substance that can delay the growth of myopia. The second is low-concentration atropine, which is considered to act on the posterior sclera and choroid, which can increase the blood supply to the posterior sclera and choroid, and can delay the increase of myopia. Another mechanism is to increase the stiffness of the sclera and delay the elongation of the eyeball, which is the mechanism by which low concentration of atropine can (possibly) delay the growth of myopia.
Medical staff suggest that low-concentration atropine sulfate eye drops can delay the progression of myopia. However, not all children with myopia are suitable for use.
Zhai Changbin, Director of the Ophthalmology Refractive Surgery Center of Beijing Tongren Hospital: If you apply atropine, you must pay attention to whether there is any allergies, whether it causes rapid heartbeat, and whether it causes other side effects, such as glaucoma. If a parent wants to use low-concentration atropine to control the progression of myopia in their child, they must use drugs for their children in a regular hospital under the guidance of doctors and under the condition of observing the child's application reaction, rather than buying a drug online and using it back, which will cause a lot of side effects, and if these side effects are not monitored, they may cause damage to the child in the clinic.
Medical staff reminded that low-concentration atropine eye drops are only one of the means to prevent myopia from progressing, and there is no way to reverse myopia, let alone use it as a preventive method. If the child is already myopia, the first consideration is optical intervention and myopia prevention and control to slow down the increase in myopia.