Collection! Winter vacation myopia prevention and control, just read this article

"In order to guide children and adolescents to use their eyes scientifically, maintain a regular schedule, and actively prevent myopia during the winter vacation, under the guidance of the Ministry of Education, the National Comprehensive Prevention and Control of Myopia in Children and Adolescents Propaganda Team revised and formed the 2023 Winter Vacation Multi-Scenario Myopia Prevention and Control Questions and Answers to answer questions and provide guidance for children, adolescents, and parents."

Active Prevention

Early detection, early prevention

Q: Is keeping hands clean important for healthy vision?

A: Pathogens can be transmitted through contact. If you do not pay attention to hand hygiene, it may cause eye pathogen infection. To prevent pathogens from invading, you must adhere to the correct hand washing method, pay attention to hand hygiene, and wash your hands frequently.

Q: Do I need to have an eye examination during the winter vacation?

A: Children and adolescents can use a standard logarithmic visual acuity chart to perform self-vision testing. Parents should take the initiative to pay attention to their children's eye health. If they find that their children squint, frown, or tilt their heads, they should take their children to regular medical institutions for examinations in a timely manner to achieve early detection, early prevention, and early treatment. Taking children for regular vision and refractive examinations can clearly understand the child's hyperopia reserve or myopia status. When it is found that the child's hyperopia reserve is insufficient or myopia is worsening, parents should take active measures to prevent and control myopia scientifically.

Question: Why is winter vacation considered a key period for myopia prevention and control?

A: Winter vacation coincides with the Spring Festival. If children and adolescents have irregular lifestyles, lack of outdoor activities, and use their eyes at close range for a long time, it is easy to cause myopia or worsen myopia. Parents are encouraged to establish scientific parenting concepts, guide children and adolescents to reasonably plan their winter vacation life, have a regular work and rest schedule, and actively participate in physical exercise, housework, social practice, and public welfare activities.

Q: What should I do if I find that my child is nearsighted?

A: You should go to a regular ophthalmology medical institution for examination, dilate your pupils for refraction according to the doctor's advice, follow the doctor's advice for scientific correction, and do not believe in false propaganda such as myopia can be cured. Currently, the means available for myopia prevention and control include wearing functional glasses, orthokeratology lenses (OK lenses), and using low-concentration atropine eye drops. These methods have a certain effect in controlling the progression of myopia, but they need to be selected and used under the guidance of a doctor, and regular review should be done.

Outdoor Sports

Stay out of the house, go outdoors more often

Question: How long should one persist in outdoor activities to be effective in preventing myopia?

A: Outdoor activities are the most effective and economical way to prevent and control myopia. It is recommended that children and adolescents spend at least 2 hours outdoors every day and at least 14 hours a week. Outdoor activities can be carried out intermittently, increasing the number of outdoor activities and ensuring the duration of outdoor activities. The key to outdoor activities is "outdoors", not the content, method and intensity of the activities.

Question: It’s cold during the winter vacation and I don’t want to go out. Can indoor exercise prevent myopia?

A: Indoor activities are not ideal for preventing and controlling myopia. Indoor activities do not provide a wide field of vision and the light intensity is insufficient, while sufficient light is the key to preventing myopia in outdoor activities. Even if the outdoor temperature is low, you should often go outdoors while keeping warm. If you need to stay at home for special circumstances, you can go to the balcony or window to get more exposure to sunlight.

Question: Is outdoor activities on cloudy days effective in preventing and controlling myopia?

Answer: Even on cloudy days, the light intensity outdoors is much greater than that indoors. Therefore, engaging in outdoor activities on cloudy days can also have a certain effect on the prevention and control of myopia.

Q: What outdoor sports can you recommend?

A: All kinds of ball games are good outdoor sports. When playing, tracking the trajectory of the ball's near and far movements with both eyes can effectively exercise the ciliary muscles and promote blood circulation in the eyes. In addition, running, doing exercises, playing games in groups, walking, etc. are all good outdoor sports.

Regular work and rest

Good sleep and not picky about food

Q: Does adequate sleep help visual development?

A: Sufficient sleep is not only important for the physical development of children and adolescents, but also beneficial for visual development. Parents should set an example and guide their children to have a regular schedule, go to bed early and get up early, and not stay up late, to ensure adequate sleep. Toddlers and primary school students should sleep no less than 10 hours a day, junior high school students no less than 9 hours, and high school students no less than 8 hours.

Question: What should we pay attention to in our diet to prevent myopia during the winter vacation?

Answer: Parents should ensure that their children have a diversified and nutritionally balanced diet and guide them to not be picky or biased in their eating habits. They should eat more vegetables and fruits and take in a moderate amount of high-quality protein such as fish, soy products and eggs. They can also eat a moderate amount of foods that are beneficial to eye development, such as carrots.

Electronic products

Select screen and control duration

Question: How much video time is appropriate during the winter vacation?

A: It is recommended to take a break when watching electronic screens. It is recommended that after watching the screen for 20 minutes, you should look up and look at a distance of 20 feet (6 meters) for at least 20 seconds, which is the "20-20-20" formula. Children under 3 years old should avoid electronic products as much as possible, and preschool children should reduce their use of electronic products as much as possible. Children and adolescents should not watch screens for non-learning purposes for more than 15 minutes each time, and no more than 1 hour in total.

Q: Are there any requirements on what kind of electronic products should be selected for video screens?

A: The recommended order of electronic products for video is projector, TV, computer, tablet. Mobile phone is not recommended. The general principle is that the larger the screen and the higher the resolution, the better. Adjust the brightness according to the environment. When the surrounding environment is dark, turn on the room lights to avoid using electronic products in a too dark environment.

Q: Can the “eye protection mode” of electronic products protect the eyes?

A: The "eye protection mode" of electronic products protects the eyes by shielding blue light and adjusting contrast and brightness. However, using electronic products for a long time and at close range will still cause visual fatigue and deepen the degree of myopia.

Q: What is the appropriate distance when watching TV or computer?

A: When watching TV, your eyes should be more than 3 meters away from the TV screen or 6 times the diagonal length of the TV screen. When watching a computer, your eyes should be more than 50 cm away from the computer screen (about an arm's length), your eyes should be slightly downward, and the center of the computer screen should be about 10 cm below your eyes. This can effectively reduce dry eyes and visual fatigue.

Q: What should I do if my eyes feel dry or tired?

A: Continuously using electronic products for too long can easily cause dry eyes, visual fatigue and other discomfort. Children and adolescents can give their eyes a full rest by closing their eyes, looking into the distance, and doing eye exercises correctly. They can also apply a hot towel to their eyes for 10 to 15 minutes, or use eye drops such as artificial tears to relieve symptoms. Go to the hospital for treatment if necessary. When watching electronic products, be conscious of blinking more. Pay attention to maintaining appropriate indoor temperature and humidity.

Extracurricular Reading

Correct posture, sufficient brightness

Q: Will reading paper books for a long time hurt my eyes?

A: Compared with electronic screens, paper reading materials are less harmful to the eyes, but if the reading posture is not correct or the eyes are used at close range for too long, it will also cause visual fatigue. When reading, you should take a break at the right time and the continuous use of eyes should not exceed 40 minutes.

Question: What is the correct sitting posture when reading at home during the winter vacation?

A: Correct sitting posture can effectively prevent the occurrence and development of myopia. When writing or reading, keep the distance between eyes and head at a reasonable level, and stick to the principle of "one foot, one fist, and one inch", that is, keep eyes one foot (about 33 cm) away from the book, chest one fist (about 10 cm) away from the edge of the table, and fingers holding the pen one inch (about 3 cm) away from the tip of the pen. Do not read while lying on the table, bed, or sofa, and do not read in a moving carriage.

Q: What are the lighting requirements for reading during the winter vacation?

A: Too much or too little light can have adverse effects on the eyes. Avoid reading and using electronic products under direct sunlight. When there is insufficient light for studying at home, turn on the ceiling light and desk lamp for auxiliary lighting. The desk lamp should be placed in front of the opposite side of the writing hand. It is best to place the desk near a window so that more natural light can enter during daytime study.

Source: Health News