Myopia is a refraction defect caused, among other things, by excessive curvature of the cornea or lens, which causes light to focus in front of the retina and not on it, causing distant objects to be seen blurry.
It is difficult to diagnose in young children, so it is important to be aware of the symptoms when they start attending school, as myopia can be the cause of three in ten cases of school failure.
According to data from General Óptica, one in four Spanish children is myopica number that increases year after year.
The main symptoms to recognize if a child has this vision problem are:
- When reading, you need to get very close to books or cell phone and tablet screens. He also stands very close when he writes.
- He scratches his eyes, blinks a lot, they water or turn red.
- He squints his eyes to read something that is far away, or when he watches television he gets too close to see it clearly.
- Blinks when trying to see something in the distance.
- He does poorly at school and doesn't keep up with the other students, especially when it comes to reading.
- When you perform activities in which you need to use your eyes a lot, you suffer from visual fatigue.
- Does not distinguish familiar people when they are at a certain distance.
- He complains that he can't see well.
- Sometimes he suffers from headaches.
It is important to detect the problem early and be aware of the first symptoms, as early diagnosis will help to stop the increase in diopters and improve the quality of life of minors.
There are several types of myopia and, depending on the case, it can be detected earlier.
Hereditary and/or congenital myopia. Myopia has a hereditary component. If both parents are myopic, their children have a 50% chance of being myopic too. There are even children who can be born with direct diopters, but symptoms usually appear from the age of 3 or 4 and they need to wear glasses at that age.
Acquired myopia. This type of myopia generally appears when children go to compulsory school, from the age of 5-6. Factors such as poor lighting in classrooms, distance from the blackboard or poor posture when doing homework or reading or spending too much time focused on screens show up in their appearance.
According to experts, myopia can be minimized by following these tips:
1. Spend more time outdoors. Children playing on the street, in the garden or in the park help them improve their distance vision.
2. Limit the use of screens. In addition to using this type of device for a certain time, it is recommended to take regular breaks so that the eye relaxes and recovers from the effort. A good trick is to apply the 20-20-20 rule, which consists of resting your eyes every 20 minutes, looking at a distance of 20 meters at the horizon, for at least 20 seconds. Furthermore, children need to have good posture and maintain the correct distance when using them.
3. Have good lighting. For good visual health at home you need to have adequate ambient lighting. It is best to have plenty of natural light, especially where children read or do homework, and if it is necessary to use artificial light, it should be as similar to natural light as possible, avoiding excessive reflections and contrasts.
4. Eat a healthy diet and exercise. The little ones in the house should have a varied diet, rich in fish, vegetables and fruits and with foods that contain antioxidants, omega 3 and vitamins A, C, E. Avoid ultra-processed foods and exercise daily.
