Increasing incidence of refractive errors in children

Refractive errors, especially myopia in children, are becoming an alarming public health issue in the era of digital technology development. Worryingly, the age of myopia is decreasing, even some children are just a few years old and have started wearing glasses.

Many children are equipped with glasses to aid their eyesight. Photo: SONG ANH

1/ Refractive errors, including nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism, are no longer a problem that can occur at any age, from students to office workers. This condition is especially common in big cities, where people are exposed to electronic devices. Alarming statistics from the Ministry of Health show that Vietnam currently has 5 million children with refractive errors, mainly nearsightedness.

The report, released at the recent rally in response to World Sight Day 2024 with the theme “Prioritizing Children’s Eye Care”, shows that among nearly 15 million children aged 6 to 15 in Vietnam – the “golden” age for refractive error correction, about 20% are facing eye problems such as nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism. This means that about 3 million children need glasses to support their vision.

According to other data from Hanoi Eye Hospital, out of a total of 5,567 students from 5 primary schools in Hanoi surveyed in 2023, 1,680 students were found to have refractive errors (accounting for 30.2%) and 1,233 students were nearsighted (accounting for 22.1%). This reflects the fact that refractive errors are becoming more and more common and appearing at younger and younger ages.

2/ The main cause of refractive errors in children today is the habit of using electronic devices continuously at close range. Another part is due to reading, studying and looking in environments with poor lighting, blue light (light emitted from electronic devices). A diet lacking in nutrients, vitamin A deficiency and genetic factors are also among the causes of refractive errors in children.

The reason why urban children have more refractive errors than rural children is due to the rapid urbanization, living space is narrowed by electric lights, high-rise buildings and lack of sunlight - a factor that stimulates the release of dopamine in the retina to help control myopia. In addition, urban children have many conditions and opportunities to be exposed to technology and electronic devices from an early age. Even many 6-7 year old children can already use mobile devices proficiently, being dependent makes the frequency of exposure to blue light much higher than average.

3/ Common signs of refractive errors in children: blurred vision, unable to see distant objects clearly; skipping lines or searching for words when reading; frequent headaches; eye strain, watery eyes; glare or halos in the vision area. Parents can observe some obvious signs such as frequent squinting, neck strain or head tilt when looking, unable to see clearly the writing on the board, misspelling words or sitting close to the edge of the notebook. Children with refractive errors will also often run to look at TV or computer at close range, have signs of headaches, eye strain, frequent blinking, and eye rubbing.

According to Dr. Pham Thi Hang, Head of the Refractive Surgery Department of DND International Eye Hospital, many children today will avoid telling their parents about the symptoms of vision loss due to fear of reducing the time they spend playing with electronic devices or misrepresenting the signs they experience, so parents need to proactively pay attention to promptly recognize those symptoms. Early detection of refractive errors will help the treatment process to be more effective.

“Parents should consider eye exams as a regular health check-up every 6 months at a hospital or eye specialist to detect defects early. For those who already have refractive errors, it is important to control them so they do not increase too much by wearing the correct glasses, giving the eyes a rest by looking far away or closing their eyes,” said Dr. Hang. “Parents should also pay attention to their children’s diet, ensuring they get enough nutrients, especially vitamins A, C and E, to keep their eyes healthy. At the same time, it is necessary to create a habit for children to study and live in an environment with adequate light, avoiding reading or using electronic devices in poor lighting conditions.”

Refractive errors, especially myopia, cause many serious consequences for children, the biggest impact of which is on the learning process. Children with myopia often have difficulty seeing the board and writing on books clearly, leading to reduced concentration, eye fatigue, headaches and even poor academic performance. In addition to affecting learning, refractive errors also cause many health problems for children. Having to squint and rub your eyes frequently to see clearly can lead to conjunctivitis, eye muscle fatigue and other eye diseases.

In addition, refractive errors that are not treated promptly can cause serious complications such as amblyopia, strabismus, macular degeneration, and even blindness.

HONG SON

Source: https://nhandan.vn/gia-tang-ty-le-mac-tat-khuc-xa-o-tre-post837324.html