Today, almost a quarter of the world’s population has vision problems. Myopic refractive error is among the most common vision problems of our time. As myopia, one of the most common eye disorders with symptoms in school-age children between the ages of 7 and 10, increases, other effects can also be seen in adulthood. Families have a great role to play in protecting the eye health of children.
IN 2050, HALF OF THE WORLD’S POPULATION WILL BE MYOPIC
Reminding the World Health Organization’s World Vision Report for 2019, stating that myopia is described as an epidemic, Ophthalmology and Retinal Surgery Specialist Prof. Dr. Nur Acar Göçgil said, “According to the report published by WHO, 2.2 billion people globally suffer from visual impairment or vision loss. It is stated that more than 1 billion people of these patients can regain their health with treatment, while it is revealed that the other 1 billion people do not take action to solve the problem. As a result of the researches, it is estimated that the number of myopic patients worldwide will reach a frightening number of 5 billion from 1.4 billion people in 2050. This number is, on average, equal to half the world’s population.” made the statement.
“HIGH MYOPULATION CAN CAUSE MANY COMPLEX DISEASES”
Explaining that a person with high myopic values (above -5 diopters) gets cataract, glaucoma, retinal tear/detachment and yellow spot disease much more frequently in his later life, Prof. Dr. Nur Acar Göçgil said, “When symptoms are felt, our priority should always be to consult an ophthalmologist. We should not forget that if we do not take the necessary precautions, these eye diseases cause vision loss in the long run. High myopia also increases the risk of many complex eye diseases.” said.
“ATTENTION TO SYMPTOMS SUCH AS FLASHES OF LIGHT, SUDDEN BLURDERING, CROWED VISION IN HIGH MYOPIA”
Paying attention to other important eye diseases especially with advancing age and higher myopia degrees, Ophthalmology and Retinal Surgery Specialist Prof. Dr. Nur Acar Göçgil, in case of complaints such as flashes of light in the eye, sudden blurring of central vision, dark vision, crooked vision or vision with curtains around, dark tone, narrowing of the visual field due to structural changes in the intraocular gel, should be examined as soon as possible. stressed that it should be done carefully. These may be preliminary findings of retinal tears, detachment, hole in the yellow spot and newly developed vascularization, which are more common especially in high myopia and can cause permanent vision loss if not treated as soon as possible; stated that vision loss can be prevented with timely and competent treatment.
SYMPTOMS OF MYOPIA MAY BE DIFFERENT IN CHILDREN
Underlining that children may not be very aware of their vision problems, Prof. Dr. Nur Acar Göçgil said, “It is possible for families to notice the symptoms of myopia in our children. In our children with vision problems, symptoms such as squinting, a tendency to go closer to see distant objects or television, and often headache or eye pain can be seen. With routine eye checks, other vision problems, especially myopia, can be prevented in children.” made its assessment.
“AFTER 20 MINUTES OF ACTIVITY, LOOK 20 SECONDS AWAY”
Stating that children have developed habits of spending longer time with digital devices during the pandemic period, Prof. Dr. Nur Acar Göçgil used the following statements in the continuation of her statement: “The development of technology, of course, provides great convenience for all of us. As a result of our technological opportunities during the pandemic period, our children continued their knowledge development even in this difficult period by performing their education processes remotely. On the other hand, in experimental studies, it was found that the eye axis lengthened temporarily when the eyes focused on a nearby point for a long time without focusing on another point. Considering these data, after doing an activity such as a phone or tablet by focusing on a close one for 20 minutes, looking at a distant point for at least 20 seconds allows the eye muscles to relax.
“IT IS IMPORTANT FOR OUR FAMILY TO INVOLVE THIS BEHAVIOR TO OUR CHILDREN”
With the developing technology, our children continue to continue their education with digital tools, both at school and at home. It is also important for our families to instill this behavior in our children in protecting their eye health.
“AT LEAST 2 HOURS OF SUNLIGHT IS REQUIRED A DAY”
At least 2 hours of sunlight a day is a necessary condition for protecting eye health. Therefore, planning activities so that you can spend more time outside with your children is of great importance both for their social development and for their eye health. While reading and screen activities are being done, the room should be bright and there should be light in the background. Again, children should look from at least 30 centimeters; ideally they should sit in the reading position.
“The STANDARD TREATMENT FOR MYOPIA IN CHILDREN IS GLASSES”
The standard treatment for myopia in children is glasses. A convex lens is used to focus the light entering the eye on the retina, which is the nerve layer. Once children are mature enough to take on this responsibility, contact lenses may be considered an option, again with the approval of their ophthalmologist. Our children, who are brought together with glasses, adopt their glasses because their vision problems become clear. In addition, there are glass types that do not break in the event of impact and do not harm the eyes, which can be used by our children who are engaged in intense sports activities.
