Are Your Children at Risk of Developing Myopia?
Children of parents who are nearsighted or myopic often run the risk of developing myopia as well.
In instances where both parents are nearsighted, the likelihood of their child also being nearsighted increases by approximately eight times. However, there are instances where it develops even without the presence of a genetic predisposition.
If not genetics, then what could be causing myopia?
While the exact cause that leads to childhood myopia has not yet been determined, factors such as genetics and environmental factors do play a part in the progression of myopia.
Many studies postulate that simple actions that can decrease eye fatigue greatly help delay the onset of myopia.
In fact, studies done on various groups across the world have shown that stopping ‘near work’ and going outside to play improves eyesight and prevents the onset of ocular issues like myopia.
What can I do to help prevent my child from becoming myopic?
Well, if your child does any of the following things, perhaps it is time to encourage better eye habits, including encouraging them to play outdoors more.
1. Constantly spends time reading. Spending stretches of time simply looking down at written words in poor lighting can cause unnecessary strain on the eyes.
2. Being glued to their hand-held devices leads to their increased reliance and exposure to ‘near work’ behavior.
3. Vision that has been incorrectly changed such as under- or over-corrected vision where your child may not be wearing the appropriate eye glasses for their unique ocular problem. This results in straining of the eyes and exacerbation of myopia.
4. History of parent(s) with myopia.
If any of the above apply to your child, it is best you encourage them to spend some time outdoors, rest their eyes or even do basic eye exercises to ensure that their eyes are not strained.
Are there measures I can take to help my child?
Here are some good eye habits for your child:
Limit the time spent on ‘near work’ activities to 3 hours a day
Take a break of 20 seconds after every 20 minutes of electronic device usage to look at an object that is 20 feet away. This is also known as the 20-20-20 rule. The blue light that is emitted from hand-held electronic devices causes long term eye health issues.
Additional measures:
Encourage outside play - as a general gauge, if 90 minutes of collective outside play is practiced daily, the onset or progression of myopia can be greatly reduced.
Ensure good lighting and posture when reading.
The progression of myopia can be slowed down if one notices the signs of it early and works towards rectifying them.