Things to know about Myopia in Children

Myopia in children is one of the usual vision difficulties in childhood. About 9% of kids ages 5-17 are nearsighted. Kids with this ailment can normally see objects close up, but struggle to see something far away. It is often diagnosed around first or second grade when they struggle to view the board in class.

Are your kids facing difficulty seeing distant objects or complaining about not being able to read the letters written on board clearly? If yes, then it is better to contact an Ophthalmologist without neglecting, as this may be due to an eye problem called Myopia.

What is Myopia in Children?

Myopia also called nearsightedness, is a progressive visual disorder wherein people face difficulty seeing the object that is farther away. Myopia rates are increasing rapidly these days and too much usage of computers and smartphones is believed to have a crucial role in Myopia. Myopia along with weakening the vision also alters the physical structure of the eye. It can either steepen the front surface of the eye or stretch the retina backwards.

what are the causes of  Myopia?

Excess usage of smartphones, sitting in front of computers for hours, staying inside the classrooms and houses away from natural sunlight is having major impacts on the eye health of your little ones. In the end, these factors can also lead to Myopia and many other vision problems.

Children nowadays are spending most of the time in front of computers and touch screen phones which causes severe harm to the development of vision in childhood. Myopia if left untreated can increase the risk of blindness in children. It is estimated that by 2050, half of the world’s population i.e. around 5 billion people will get affected Myopia.

Experts even suggest conducting eye tests for newborn infants through which we can detect eye problems among children in the early stages. Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is a type of vision problem which is mostly seen in premature babies. Though these kids look normal outside, their eyesight will get damaged gradually. If detected within 30 days, ROP can be corrected.

Currently, the usage of smartphones has increased drastically. Most of the parents today are handing their phones to their kids in order to complete their tasks and kids are playing with them for hours. This excess usage of smartphones leads to many problems like dry eyes, headache, irritation, physical discomforts and so on.

Approximately, 3 lack people are suffering from Myopia in our country, whereas, around 30% of the population are facing glaucoma and eye cancer problems, 50% of people are facing refractive error problem and about 5-10% of people are facing other eye-related problems.

Precautions to control Myopia in Children

Below are few precautionary steps which help to prevent and control Myopia in children

• Blink your eyes more often when working on a computer for long hours. Blinking can prevent eye dryness and irritation.
• Do not keep your smartphones closer to your eyes.
• Make sure kids play and spend most of their time outside under the sun instead of playing indoors.
• Eat more Carotenoid rich foods like Carrots, spinach, pumpkin and other available greens.
• Get enough night sleep. Sleep does not just prevent vision problems but also improves overall wellbeing.
• Get your eyes checked regularly.