"Lele has just turned one year old, why is he 600 degrees nearsighted?" Lin's mother clutched the diagnosis book, her eyes full of confusion and worry. Lili, the best friend on the side, gently hugged her shoulders and comforted her in a low voice: "Don't be too sad, you and Lele's father both have high myopia, and the child is likely to have inherited pathological myopia genes." ”
Lin's mother and husband are both deeply myopic and are well aware of the many inconveniences that myopia brings to life. They had hoped that Lele would be free from myopia in early childhood, but a chance vision screening result ruthlessly shattered this wish.
Little Lele is still at the age of babbling, but he has heavy glasses on the bridge of his nose. Looking at the child's clear but blurred gaze, Lin's mother had mixed feelings in her heart: Could it be that myopia will really follow like a shadow and entangle innocent children early? In the future, how many hardships will Lele's growth road be due to this?
"Is there really no other reason? We usually pay attention to his eye habits. Mother Lin asked in confusion. Lily sighed: "Genetic factors do account for a large proportion, but the environmental factors of modern life cannot be ignored either. Excessive use of electronic products and poor eye habits may accelerate the development of myopia.
Let's find a professional doctor for consultation, formulate a scientific prevention and control plan, and try our best to help Lele reduce the impact of myopia. Mother Lin nodded, although she still had doubts in her heart, she was determined to actively find solutions for the health of her child's eyesight.
01
The occurrence and development of myopia, an increasingly common eye disease in modern society, is not entirely caused by acquired environmental factors, but genetic factors play an important role behind it. Especially when both parents have myopia, the risk of myopia in children increases significantly. The following is a detailed analysis of the genetic truth of myopia:
Myopia classification and genetic characteristics:
Simple myopia (acquired myopia): mainly caused by environmental factors such as long-term close-up eye use and bad eye habits, when the myopia of both parents is below 600 degrees, the probability of genetic myopia in children is relatively low, but there are still certain genetic risks.
Pathological myopia: with a strong genetic predisposition, if both parents have high myopia (≥ 600 degrees), the probability of a child inheriting myopia is as high as 75%, and even in the case of carrying a specific pathological myopia gene, the hereditary probability can be as high as more than 90%. Pathological myopia not only has a high degree and rapid progression, but may also be accompanied by fundus lesions, which have a more serious impact on vision.
Inheritance pattern:
Multifactorial inheritance: Myopia is not determined by a single gene, but by the action of multiple genes. Studies have found that there are many genes associated with myopia, such as PAX6, MYP1, ZNF644, etc., which affect the likelihood and severity of myopia in individuals through different inheritance patterns (autosomal dominant, autosomal recessive, X-linked, etc.).
Environment-Genetic Interactions:
Genetic susceptibility and environmental triggers: Even if an individual carries a myopia-related gene, whether and how much it develops the disease depends on acquired environmental factors. In the same genetic context, adverse environmental factors such as prolonged close reading, lack of outdoor activities, and excessive use of electronic products can accelerate the occurrence and progression of myopia.
02
Myth 1: Wearing glasses leads to a deepening of the prescription
Clarification of facts: Wearing glasses alone does not lead to a deepening of myopia. Wearing the right prescription glasses can help prevent over-adjustment caused by blurred vision, thereby slowing down the progression of myopia to a certain extent.
Myth 2: Eye exercises can effectively prevent myopia
Clarification of facts: Although eye exercises can temporarily relieve eye fatigue, there is no conclusive evidence that they are effective in preventing myopia. The key to preventing myopia is to reduce the time spent near the eye, increase outdoor activities and maintain good eye habits.
Myth 3: Electronic products are the only culprit of myopia
Clarification of facts: Excessive use of electronics is one of the important environmental factors that contribute to myopia, but it is not the only cause. The prevention and control of myopia requires comprehensive consideration of various factors and the adoption of diversified measures.
Myth 4: Myopia does not need to be treated, and laser surgery can be done when it grows up
Clarification of facts: Laser surgery (e.g. LASIK) can correct myopia, but it does not cure myopia or prevent it from progressing further. For children and adolescents, special attention should be paid to the early prevention and control of myopia to avoid excessive growth of myopia. Laser surgery is only available to those who have a stable prescription in adulthood, are eligible for surgery, and are willing to undergo surgery.
Myth 5: Myopia does not affect daily life and is not needed
Clarification of facts: Mild myopia may have little impact on daily life, but as the prescription progresses, it may affect quality of life. What's more, high myopia (≥ 600 degrees) not only affects vision, but may also increase the risk of serious eye diseases such as retinal detachment, glaucoma, cataracts, etc.
03
Regular eye exams: For children aged 3-6 years, eye exams should be performed every 6 to 12 months, including dilated refraction and axial length measurements. Refer to the lower limit of visual acuity standard (0.5 for 3-5 years old, 0.7 for 6 years old and above) to detect potential myopia problems in time and grasp the critical period of early intervention.
Outdoor activities: Ensuring that children have at least 2 hours of outdoor activity time every day and are bathed in natural light can help curb excessive eye axis growth and significantly reduce the incidence of myopia. Studies have shown that adding 1 hour of outdoor activity per week can reduce the risk of myopia by 2%.
Use your eyes wisely: Follow the "20-20-20" rule, which means that after every 20 minutes of use of electronic products, look at an object 20 feet (about 6 meters) away for at least 20 seconds to effectively reduce eye strain.
Healthy diet: Foods rich in lutein and zeaxanthin, such as carrots, tomatoes and other yellow-green vegetables, help prevent functional eye degeneration, deep-sea fish and nuts are rich in DHA, which helps to improve visual clarity, and animal liver, egg yolks, etc., are rich in vitamin A, which can relieve corneal dryness. A balanced diet provides comprehensive nutritional support for your child's eyes.
Get enough sleep: Preschool and school-age children should get at least 10 hours of sleep a day. A good night's sleep not only contributes to overall health, but is also an important time for your eyes to recover and rest.
Note: The health and wellness suggestions in the article are for reference only (part of the picture is from the Internet, and the infringement contact is deleted)