Summer vacation is not over yet, and the child's hyperopia reserve is gone? !

The summer vacation is long and the weather is hot.

Children are prone to irregular life,

Lack of outdoor activities,

Long-term close-up use of the eyes,

Over-consumption of hyperopic reserve is prone to occur .

Vision problems concern many parents

So what does hyperopia reserve mean?

How to prevent premature depletion of hyperopia reserve?

Can it be made up?

Let’s take a look!

What is hyperopic reserve?

Hyperopia reserve is a kind of physiological hyperopia, which is a "reserve fund" to fight against the occurrence of myopia.

Newborns have smaller eyeballs, shorter eye axes, and both eyes are in a hyperopic state. The average refractive power is 250 to 300 degrees, which is equivalent to storing 250 to 300 degrees of "reserve funds" in the "vision bank" .

If this "reserve fund" is used scientifically and reasonably and the rate of consumption is slowed down, it can prevent the occurrence of myopia.

However, if one uses his eyes poorly for a long time, the "reserve fund" will be consumed too quickly to zero balance, and then overdrawn to a negative number, which will develop into myopia.

On August 9, 2024, the China CDC Weekly IF=4.3 published a column titled NATIONAL FITNESS DAY ISSUE, reporting that the Institute of Children's Health of Jiangsu Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention and Nanjing Medical University jointly established normal reference values ​​for hyperopia reserve for children aged 6-12 years in Jiangsu Province . Through a cohort study, the entire process of children's hyperopia reserve (sufficient) → early warning (before myopia) → myopia → high myopia was demonstrated , providing theoretical support and guidance for the early detection of children with insufficient hyperopia reserve.

This study suggests that for children with the same good vision, the probability of children with insufficient hyperopia reserve developing myopia within the next year is 5.7 to 8 times that of children with sufficient hyperopia reserve.

Myopia cannot be reversed once it occurs. So far, there is no method that can cure or reverse myopia.

What can be done to prevent the premature and rapid depletion of hyperopia reserves?

01. Bathing your eyes in the sun

Daytime outdoor activities are the most economical and effective measure to delay the premature and rapid consumption of hyperopia reserves. School-age children should spend at least 2 hours outdoors every day, and kindergarten children should spend at least 3 hours a day.

02. Reduce long-term close-up eye use

Generally, close-up reading and writing should follow the "40-10 principle", that is, after using the eyes continuously for 30 to 40 minutes at close range, you should rest for 10 minutes. You can relax the eye muscles and relieve eye fatigue by looking into the distance, doing light activities, outdoor activities, doing eye exercises, etc. The use of electronic screens should follow the "20-10 principle", that is, if the continuous screen time exceeds 20 minutes, you should get up and rest for at least 10 minutes to relax the eye muscles and relieve eye fatigue. When choosing a screen, choose large-screen electronic products as much as possible. The viewing distance of the projector should be more than 3 meters, the viewing distance of the TV should be no less than 4 times the diagonal distance of the screen, the horizontal viewing distance of the computer should be no less than 50 cm, and the viewing distance of the mobile phone should be no less than 40 cm.

03. Maintain correct reading and writing posture

When reading and writing, keep a correct sitting posture and follow the "three ones", namely "one foot, one fist, and one inch". Keep your eyes about one foot away from the book, your body about one fist away from the desk, and your fingers holding the pen about one inch away from the tip of the pen. Avoid reading while lying flat, sideways, or prone, do not read while walking, and do not read in a moving vehicle.

04. Maintain good lighting

The lighting in the learning environment should be sufficient and even. When there is insufficient light during the day or when reading or writing at night, use a desk lamp. Place the desk lamp in front of the opposite side of the writing hand and turn on the overhead light at the same time.

05. Ensure good sleep quality

Arrange your work and rest schedule properly. Primary school students should sleep 10 hours a day, junior high school students should sleep 9 hours a day, and high school students should sleep 8 hours a day. Use light-proof curtains at night, sleep without night lights, and avoid exposure to light from electronic products.

06. Check your eyesight regularly

It is recommended that parents take their children to medical institutions for regular vision checks to understand changes in their children's hyperopia reserves. If it is found that the hyperopia reserves are consumed too quickly, medical intervention measures should be taken under the guidance of a doctor if necessary to prevent and effectively control it as early as possible.

Can the lost hyperopia reserve be replenished?

The reduction of hyperopic reserve is marked by the growth of axial length.

Theoretically, the eyeball has become longer and cannot be shrunk; therefore, it may not be easy to recover the reduced hyperopia reserve.

However, it is never too late to mend the situation. We should adjust the child's lifestyle and state in time , adapt to the characteristics of the child's visual function development, and do not let the child's visual burden overwhelm his underdeveloped visual system.