The number of students with myopia is increasing.

Recent monitoring of school health by an inter-agency inspection team from the health and education sectors in schools across Dong Nai province has revealed an increasing rate of refractive errors among students, primarily myopia. In many schools, as many as 40-50% of students suffer from myopia.

Many students at a middle school in Bien Hoa City suffer from nearsightedness. Photo: A. Yen

Dr. Dang Xuan Nguyen, Chairman of the Professional Council of Hanoi - Dong Nai Eye Hospital, said that early signs of myopia include children squinting to see distant objects, often getting very close to the television, and tending to bring everything closer to their eyes. If the myopia is more severe, children will no longer be able to see clearly at a distance, cannot see the letters on the blackboard clearly, and will experience eye strain and pain. In fact, at Hanoi - Dong Nai Eye Hospital, many young children have had their vision reduced to only 1/10 and their myopia already reached 3-4 diopters.

Myopia is caused by many factors, a combination of both genetic and environmental factors. A child whose parent is myopic has a three times higher risk of developing myopia, and this risk increases sixfold if both parents are myopic. However, many children whose parents have perfectly good eyesight can still develop myopia.

Additionally, excessive close-up viewing (within 1 meter) can also contribute to the development of nearsightedness. For example, children sitting in incorrect postures while reading or doing homework, bending their eyes too close to books or papers, using computers or phones, or watching television at close range.

Studies have also shown that children who spend too little time outdoors are more likely to develop nearsightedness. Children should spend an average of 1.5 hours per day engaging in any outdoor activity, such as walking or playing sports .

New ophthalmological studies over the past 10 years have found that, although regular glasses correct vision, they do not prevent the progression of myopia and may even contribute to it. This is because when wearing regular glasses, the image of objects is precisely focused on the macula, the central area of ​​the retina, but due to the uneven structure of the converging components, the peripheral retina receives a blurry image due to insufficient converging force, leading to eye elongation and increasing myopia.

Therefore, the primary goal of myopia treatment is to control the elongation of the eyeball axis. Currently, several methods have been scientifically proven, such as Ortho-K, low-dose atropine eye drops, and wearing special lenses with small lenses in the central area, which are highly effective in controlling myopia progression. In addition, lifestyle adjustments are necessary, increasing outdoor time by 30 minutes to 1 hour per day and reducing screen time on electronic devices such as phones, iPads, computers, and televisions.

An Yen

Source: https://baodongnai.com.vn/xa-hoi/202504/hoc-sinh-bi-can-thi-gia-tang-4b94295/