An increasing number of children need glasses for nearsightedness. How is this possible?
There are many scientific studies underway, but they agree on 1 thing; kids are watching more and more "close up". Think gaming, more time on the iPad, cell phones & laptops. It's impossible to imagine life without it. 50% of 17 year olds are already nearsighted. That was really different in the past....
So what's so bad about that "close" viewing?
When you do a lot of close viewing, your eyeball stretches lengthwise. The more severe myopia becomes, the more your retina stretches and becomes thinner. As Professors (Radboudumc) Caroline Klaver & Suzanne Yzer explain; think of it as a balloon you inflate. The edge of it also gets thinner and thinner.
Severe myopia can cause very real serious damage in old age. In China, increase in nearsightedness, or Myopia, is a big problem. We can hope that we don't go after that.
But how do we prevent myopia?
Play outside!!! Scientific research shows that daylight is tremendously good for children's eyes. In fact, when you play outside you look "far away," which trains your eye muscles. The advice is to play outside for at least 2 hours a day. That is quite a challenge, we know... Not every family has the living environment that makes playing outside easy.
In any case, try to let your child look at a distance for a while after every 20 minutes of screen time.
Want to know more about myopia in children?
[[Page-Blue-End]]