To see children wearing spectacles these days is a norm. Even for myself, I have been wearing spectacles since I was a child. However, at times, would I have done other things in life if I’m not wearing one. I could have been a pilot, maybe, if I had perfect vision back then. Maybe I would not have hated swimming if I could actually see underwater.
Who knows, right?
For all we know, at least there could have been more activities that I could have participated in.
What is myopia?
It means that one has to wear spectacles to see things far away. We call it short-sightedness, near-sightedness, “things that far away appear blurry”, “I can see close but can’t see far”, etc.
Bottomline, I would not want my kids to wear spectacles if possible although I know that there are certain elements that are unavoidable such as genetics.
Genetics and environmental factors increases the risk of myopia
Here is an excerpt from a research study that confirms the strong relationship with short-sightedness and genetics. In this case, there are some elements such as this that you will not be able to run away from, unfortunately.
“Genetics greatly influence the growth of the eye, but the fine correlation between the components of refraction, which is necessary for an eye to end in emmetropia, appears to be affected by environmental factors, such as education.“
As you can see, genetics no doubt influences the risk of wearing spectacles in a child. However, other environmental factors come into play too, like how many hours a child spends in-doors and the amount of time used to study.
“Numerous studies on schoolchildren and students over the last 150 years have documented a strong correlation between the development of myopia and education, and a critical analysis of data indicates that near work (accommodation) is not solely responsible for the development of myopia but only when combined with a learning process, including memorising.”
Interesting, right? Reading or doing work close-up alone does not increase the risk of short-sightedness. On the other hand, when a child needs to remember the things that have been studied, that increases the risk of myopia.
How to treat myopia?
The only way to treat myopia is actually LASIK. It is a laser eye surgery used to correct myopia. Then again, we are talking about toddlers here, so LASIK is out of the question. Besides, it is costly and it carries some side effects. Other than that, there are no other ways of treating myopia in toddlers and older children. You can only correct it through spectacles.
Atropine (0.01%) can be used to delay the progression of myopia
However, you would probably need to an eye specialist to get hold of this medication as it can’t be bought over the counter from the pharmacy. Besides, it should be used under a doctor’s supervision.
How to reduce the risk of myopia in toddlers?
Although you can’t do anything about genetics, at least you can do something about the environmental factors. No. I’m not asking you to stop your child from reading or learning.
“Studies in children have indicated an association between physical activity/outdoor activity and refractive error and it has been observed that myopes spend significantly less time engaged in sports, which is associated with myopia.“
More importantly, allow your kids to go and have fun activities outside. Not those in-door playgrounds but the ones under the sun.
Sunlight promotes a healthy development of the eyes
I know letting your child play outside can be somewhat dangerous, knowing our current situation in Bolehland but there are still safe places that you can go to with your child.
Here are a few other things you can do for your toddler:
- Get your child to rest the eyes after 30 minutes of reading
- The distance between the eyes and the reading material should be at least 30 cm apart
- Read or watch TV in a well-lit room
- Read a book while sitting up rather than lying down
- Sit at least 2 metres away from the TV
References:
- Genetic and environmental effects on myopia development and progression | PubMed
- Childhood myopia | Singapore National Eye Centre
Image credit:
- https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/closeup-portrait-fun-happy-kid-girl-196210178
- https://www.eyecareconcepts.com.au/uploads/8/8/3/9/88398364/child-reading-too-close_orig.jpg
- https://www.theeyepractice.com.au/myopia/child-squinting-myopia.jpg
- https://www.channelnewsasia.com/image/10955954/1x1/600/600/cacf3e119deb94eeb281c66583841244/NS/myopia-children-contact-lens-atropine-eye-chart-blur.jpg
- http://www.villaoptometry.com/storage/app/media/Pediatric_Eye_Exam.jpg
- https://www.istockphoto.com/my/photo/child-in-front-of-tv-gm180814318-24527799
In collaboration with Ethissa.
