Nearsightedness is very common: one in two people (50% of the population) has it. With this vision defect, the eye is longer than normal, measured from the front to the back, or the cornea (transparent layer at the front of the eye) is too curved, according to the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO).
Thus, light rays come from objects located at a certain distance from the eye focus at a point in front of the retina.
Studies show that this eye defect, which causes people to see things that are far away in a blurry way, is becoming more common among children, according to the AAO.
“While a direct link has not been proven, research suggests that children who spend more time indoors doing activities that require close vision (such as working on a computer, playing video games, or reading) have higher rates of myopia than those who spend more time outdoors,” according to the same source.
Although myopia cannot be reversed, the goal of treatment is to prevent it from getting worse. This can protect the child’s eye health in the future, even though he or she may still need to wear glasses or contact lenses, explains the American medical college.
“One of the biggest concerns of any mother or father is that their children have good visual health,” says José Ramón García Baena, optician-optometrist in charge of Visual Health Services at General Óptica (GO).
Therefore, it is a priority to monitor your child’s vision and be aware of the first signs of myopia that they may show to detect it in time, according to the GO specialist.
DIFFERENT TYPES OF MYOPIA IN CHILDHOOD
García Baena explains that “myopia has a hereditary component, and if both parents are myopic, their children have a 50% chance of being myopic as well.”
There are even children who can be born with diopters (a unit of measurement that expresses the degree of vision impairment in an eye), although the symptoms of myopia can appear at 3 or 4 years of age, making it necessary for them to wear glasses at that age, he says in reference to congenital myopia.
Acquired myopia, on the other hand, usually occurs when children go to school, from the age of 5 to 10, and is influenced by poor lighting in classrooms, the distance from the blackboard, or poor posture when doing homework or reading, according to García Baena.
“Spending a lot of time with your eyes focused on screens is another factor that can influence myopia,” he adds.
Childhood myopia can be corrected with glasses, contact lenses, and in some cases surgery, according to the AAO.
To help limit myopia, delay its nose, and protect children’s vision as they grow, parents should encourage their children to spend more time outdoors and limit the amount of time spent in front of computer screens or other digital devices, she added.
However, in all cases “it is essential to detect this visual defect as soon as possible,” García Baena emphasizes.
Early detection requires the participation of both parents and school teachers, who must remain alert to the first symptoms of myopia, he points out.
He points out that an early diagnosis will not only help to stop the increase in diopters and substantially improve the child’s life but will also contribute to ensuring that his or her grades at school do not worsen, since it is estimated that “myopia may be related to three out of ten school failures.”
SYMPTOMS AND SIGNS TO WATCH OUT FOR
It is difficult for a child to express that he or she cannot see well or that he or she sees distant objects in a blurry manner. Therefore, General Óptica recommends that parents and teachers be alert to the following symptoms and signs that may be detected in a child with possible myopia:
- You need to get very close to books or mobile device screens when reading, and also when writing.
- He blinks a lot and scratches his eyes, which also become watery or red.
- He squints to read something that is far away, or when watching television he gets very close to the device to see it properly.
- He winks when he tries to see something that is far away.
- He has poor results in school and does not keep up with the rest of the students, especially in reading.
- You experience eye strain when performing activities that require a lot of vision.
- He cannot distinguish known people when they are at a certain distance.
- He complains that he can’t see well.
- Sometimes he suffers from headaches.
If any of these symptoms or signs are detected, it is important to take the child to an eye health specialist, so that he or she can perform an eye exam, GO recommends.