Eye injury, infection and nearsightedness affect people of all ages, so it is essential to schedule yearly eye exams for your children and family members. August is Children’s Eye Health and Safety Month, a time to emphasize the importance of eye health and disease prevention.
The Prevalence of Myopia, or Nearsightedness
Have you ever noticed more people are wearing glasses now than in the past? Myopia, or nearsightedness, is steadily increasing. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that around 1.89 billion people were nearsighted in 2016. The WHO predicts myopia will affect 49.8 percent of the world’s population in 2050. This means one out of two people will require glasses or contacts to see objects at a distance.
What Is Causing Nearsightedness Rates to Increase?
Genetics can affect myopia, but environment also influences whether someone is nearsighted. When visual input is distorted, it can cause the eyes to enlarge. This results from an increase in the length of the eye and results in blurred vision. Myopia causes the eyeball to elongate from front to back. This affects its ability to focus light, which enables clear eyesight. This elongation increases nearsightedness, making distant objects blurry.
One of the main reasons myopia rates are increasing is children are staying indoors more often. A study in Leipzig, Germany, analyzed 1,437 children between the ages of 3 and 18.
Kids who only went outside once a week were four times as likely to have nearsightedness compared to children who went outside two or more times a week.
Another factor that affects myopia is the amount of time people spend focusing on something within one arm’s length of their faces. Increased amounts of near work make children more likely to develop nearsightedness.
The German study found that children who spent more than three hours a day doing near work were four times more likely to have myopia than children who spent less than an hour doing near work. Near work activities may include the following:
- Reading a book
- Looking at smartphones or tablets
- Working on a computer
- Doing crafts or needlework
- Drawing, painting or building models
Importance of Treating Myopia Early
If so many people are nearsighted, why does early treatment make a difference? Eyeglasses and contact lenses are simple solutions to myopia, but it is important to treat the condition early. Using corrective lenses for a few minutes every day can stop myopia’s progression.
Untreated myopia increases the risk of further progression of the lengthening of the eye, which may lead to vision problems like cataracts, glaucoma, retinal detachment and macular degeneration. Each of these eye diseases can cause vision loss. For this reason, countries like the United Kingdom, China and most states in the United States have mandatory vision screenings in school.
How to Prevent Myopia
Environmental factors have a significant impact on how susceptible children are to being nearsighted. Daily exposure to sunlight and limiting near work activities can prevent pathological eye growth.
Because we live in the digital age, it is not practical to prevent children from using digital devices; it is wise, however, to limit their usage. Past recommendations by the American Academy of Pediatrics were that children spend no more than two hours on digital devices per day. Recently, they recommend parents consider the quality of interactions with digital media more than just the amount of time.
Creating Healthy Parameters for Using Digital Devices
It may be more beneficial for parents to talk to their children about healthy boundaries for using technology and digital devices. The American Academy of Ophthalmology recommends the 20/20/20 rule: every 20 minutes, take a 20-second break and look at an object at least 20 feet away.
Pediatric ophthalmologist and Academy member Luxme Hariharan, MD, came up with BLINK 20-20-20.
Blink: Blinking helps keep the eyes moist.
Lubricate: Lubricate your eyes with artificial tears throughout the day or use a humidifier.
Inches: Keep the computer or desk an arms-length away and angle it downward from your child’s face.
Near device breaks: Encourage children to play outside with a sibling, friend or pet at regular intervals.
Know your sources: Seek information from trusted sources like your child’s doctor, eye doctor or the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Schedule a Comprehensive Eye Exam Before the End of the Year
Do you or your children find yourselves squinting to read street signs or decipher objects that are far away? It is time to schedule complete eye exams before the year ends. Yearly comprehensive eye exams help diagnose myopia, other refractive errors and eye diseases like cataracts, glaucoma and macular degeneration. Family history can make you more susceptible to certain eye problems, so make sure to talk to your doctor to determine your risk of developing a disease or condition.
Schedule an Appointment with a Board-Certified Ophthalmologist
Observe Children’s Eye Health and Safety Month by contacting one of our eye care centers. Our board-certified ophthalmologists are accepting new patients and are ready to meet your vision needs.