When should children be examined for myopia?

Ms. Thu Thao , Trang Dai ward, Bien Hoa city

Dr. Dang Xuan Nguyen , Chairman of the Professional Council of Hanoi - Dong Nai Eye Hospital answered:

Myopia means that the eyes can see clearly up close, but have blurred vision in the distance. Children with myopia have difficulty seeing the blackboard in class, watching TV, or anything that is far away. The higher the degree of myopia, the more blurred the distance vision.

Simulates the image of a nearsighted eye and the focal point of light convergence in front of the retina.

Early signs of myopia are that children often squint to see distant objects, often go close to the TV to watch, and tend to bring everything closer to their eyes. If myopia is more severe, children will not be able to see clearly at a distance, cannot see the letters on the board, have tired eyes, sore eyes... You should take your child to an eye hospital to check their eyesight. Because in fact, at Hanoi - Dong Nai Eye Hospital, there are many children who go for eye exams when their eyesight is only 1/10 and the myopia is already 3 - 4 diopters.

Myopia is caused by many factors, combined together.

A child whose one or both parents are nearsighted has a 3-6 times higher risk of developing myopia.

Too much close-up work. Any activity that requires the eyes to focus at close range (within 1 meter) can contribute to the development of myopia. This includes doing homework, reading, using the computer, watching TV…

Children who spend too little time outdoors are more likely to become nearsighted.

Myopia can progress despite corrective lenses. In the early stages of myopia, children are often unaware that their vision is blurred and may not complain to their parents about blurred vision. Delays in diagnosing and treating myopia contribute to the progression of myopia by causing the retina to become defocused and blurred over time, stimulating the eye to lengthen.

Medical staff check a patient's eyesight at Hanoi - Dong Nai Eye Hospital.

Additionally, children who wear glasses with the wrong prescription (higher or lower than the actual prescription) can also have their condition progress more quickly. An overcorrected prescription can cause eye strain when focusing, especially at close range. For this reason, it is important for parents to find an experienced and trustworthy ophthalmologist for their children. The results of a child's eye exam can vary widely, especially in children with accommodation disorders, and sometimes eye drops that paralyze this overcorrection are needed to more accurately assess the condition of the eye.

The important goal of myopia treatment is to control the elongation of the eyeball axis. Some methods have been proven by scientific studies such as: Ortho-K method, low-dose Atropine, wearing special lenses with small lenses in the near-central area are highly effective in controlling increasing myopia. In addition, the lifestyle needs to be adjusted accordingly, increasing the time spent outdoors from 30 minutes to 1 hour per day, reducing the time spent with electronic devices, computers, etc.

Visit an experienced myopia control specialist to protect your eyes from the unpredictable complications of myopia.

Hanoi - Dong Nai Eye Hospital. Address: No. 418 Pham Van Thuan Street, Tam Hiep Ward, Bien Hoa City, Dong Nai Province. Hotline: 0251.8823.288 - 0812.557.335

Source: https://baodongnai.com.vn/xa-hoi/y-te/202504/khi-nao-can-dua-tre-di-kham-can-thi-57d7c1b/