Myopia cannot be cured? Doctors unlock the correct posture to control degrees!

According to the latest “China Optical Industry White Paper 2023” released by iResearch, with the popularization of the Internet, the proportion of myopia in my country has gradually increased, especially the myopia rate among teenagers. At the same time, the age of my country’s teenagers who first access the Internet is getting younger and younger. More than half of minors spend more than 2 hours online every day on weekends and holidays. The problem of myopia among teenagers is not optimistic.

Faced with myopia, many parents think about “how to cure it”, which has given rise to various methods.

Scientific school: Myopia is caused by eye muscle fatigue. Eye massage relaxes the muscles and can cure myopia.

Diet pie: Eating pork liver, spinach, and carrots can improve eyesight and correct myopia.

Sports school: Reading less and exercising more can cure myopia.

But the truth may disappoint you, because these methods are useless.

Myopia really cannot be cured!

Xiong Ke, director and deputy chief physician of the Department of Ophthalmology (Full Femtosecond Laser Myopia Treatment Center) at Zengcheng Campus of Southern Hospital, said that at least under current medical conditions, myopia is impossible to cure, and this is already recognized in the medical field. Those advertisements that promote “curing myopia” and “restoring vision” actually take advantage of the unequal information gap between consumers and convey wrong perceptions. As early as 2019, six departments including the National Health Commission jointly issued a document clarifying that myopia is incurable and prohibiting businesses and institutions from using misleading terms such as “rehabilitation”, “restoration”, “reduction of degree”, “myopia cure” and “myopia nemesis” in external publicity. Expression.

How to correctly control myopia?

Myopia that occurs in children and adolescents is mostly axial myopia, which is myopia caused by the elongation of the axial length of the eye.

The essence of myopia: the anterior and posterior axis of the eyeball is lengthened and the cornea becomes convex (the cornea of ​​the pupil is convex)

External light cannot be concentrated on the retina of the fundus of the eye.

Director Xiong Ke said that normal human eyes use the ciliary muscle to adjust the deformation of the lens, thereby focusing the light on the retina, thereby obtaining clear vision; however, due to the influence of using eyes at close range and other bad eye habits, the lens is in tension for a long time In this state, the convergence ability is too strong, causing the light to focus in front of the retina. Coupled with the lengthening of the eye axis, myopia is further deepened.

He believes that since myopia is irreversible, children should pay attention to how to control the increase in myopia. The control degree methods recognized in academic circles mainly include the following three aspects:

1. Great outdoor activities

Research shows that large outdoor activities during the day are very effective in preventing and controlling myopia. They cost nothing and are the healthiest.

The large outdoor area can be used on sunny or cloudy days, as long as it is an outdoor activity during the day. Because even on a cloudy day, the outdoor light intensity is far greater than the indoor light.

Director Xiong Ke said, why are outdoor activities so effective in preventing myopia? There are two principles behind it:

First, when our eyes are active outdoors during the day, they secrete a substance called dopamine, which has the effect of delaying the progression of myopia.

The second point is the increase in depth of field.

If you have mild myopia, you may feel that you cannot see clearly in the house on a cloudy day, but suddenly feel clearer when you go out. Why? Because our pupils shrink when we are outdoors.

Those who have practiced photography may know the concept of depth of field. When the pupil is small, it is equivalent to a small aperture of the camera, and the depth of field will increase, allowing you to see more clearly. If you adjust the aperture to a very large aperture, the focus must be very accurate to see clearly; if the aperture is small, it is equivalent to constriction of the pupil, and the focus does not need to be very accurate to see clearly, and the retina will get a clearer image. , clear imaging can delay the progression of myopia.

Some parents may ask, is it okay to read books and play with building blocks outdoors? Will it help vision?

Director Xiong Ke said that there is a professional term “infinity” in ophthalmology. Even when looking 5 meters away, it is called “infinity” because when the eyes look 5 meters away, the muscles do not need to adjust and they can see clearly in a relatively relaxed state. thing. Therefore, playing ball outdoors and watching the scenery are okay, but playing with mobile phones and building blocks are not good for preventing and controlling myopia.

2. Optical means

Director Xiong Ke said that the optical methods we often talk about include OK lenses, defocused frame lenses, defocused soft lenses, single vision glasses, etc. For the prevention and control of myopia, OK lenses are the best of all.

The OK lens is a rigid contact lens with an inverse geometric design. Wearing the OK lens can change the shape of the cornea surface, change the route of light entering the eye, and delay the progression of myopia through optical means. And because the periphery of the cornea becomes steeper, the light from the periphery of the cornea can be imaged in front of the retina (myopic defocus). In this way, the eye obtains a signal not to increase the axial length of the eye. Through this mechanism, the growth of the axial length of the eye can be controlled. And then control the speed of myopia development.

The control effect of the defocused frame lens is nearly 40%, which is half the prevention and control effect of the OK lens. Defocused soft lenses are for children whose prescription is not deep or who cannot wear OK lenses.

In summary, in terms of the effect of controlling myopia, OK lenses are the best, defocused soft lenses are second, and defocused frame lenses are third. The effect of ordinary single vision glasses is not particularly clear.

3. Low concentration atropine (0.01%)

Low concentrations of atropine can effectively delay the development of myopia in children.

Research shows that atropine eye drops can slow down the growth rate of myopia by an average of 40% to 50% in children and adolescents aged 6 to 12 years old. It is very convenient to use, just click it once every night before going to bed.

Of course, it is recommended that everyone use it as directed by your doctor. Long-term use of atropine may cause adverse reactions such as photophobia, difficulty seeing near objects, and allergic conjunctivitis in a small number of people.

Director Xiong Ke said that clinically, about 1/3 of the children can achieve the effect of not increasing the prescription at all through the OK lens; and 2/3 of the children will increase to a certain extent, so we will combine it with low-concentration atropine (0.01 %) are used together, and after treatment, about 1/3 of the children can reach the point where the degree is no longer long. Therefore, through OK lens combined with low-concentration atropine (0.01%), almost 70 to 80% of children can achieve complete control of myopia, which does not increase about once every seven or eight years.

Doctor reminds: In addition to the three magic weapons, regular review is very important

For children with myopia, it is generally recommended to go to the hospital to review the changes in the degree and axial length of the eye every 3-6 months. For some children whose degree is increasing rapidly, who are young, and whose axial length is very long, it is recommended to have a review every 3 months. Regular review can scientifically evaluate the effect of myopia control. When the effect is not good, the reasons should be analyzed and corresponding treatment should be carried out. For example: if the adjustment function is not good, visual training can be carried out; if the control effect of a single method is not good, drugs can be combined; if the lens appears, In case of wear, frame deformation, inappropriate prescription, etc., please replace the glasses with new ones in time.

Director Xiong Ke emphasized that the mechanism of myopia is complex, affected by a large number of factors, and has obvious individual differences. Currently, there is no medical method that can guarantee good results for all children with myopia. Therefore, if a child does not respond well to a certain treatment method, we must adjust the existing plan or choose a combined control plan under the guidance of a doctor, and at the same time, we must actively help the child develop good eye-use habits.