The school is about to start. Under the epidemic, many students have taken online classes in the past half-and-a-half years. The Chinese University School of Medicine found that the incidence of myopia among school children under the epidemic has soared to 30%, which is 1.5 times higher than that before the epidemic. The epidemic is related to less going out and more use of electronic products.
Some schoolchildren’s nearsightedness increased by 200 degrees within 4 months. The CUHK team warned that there would be an "explosive increase in nearsightedness". It is recommended that students take two hours of outdoor activities a day and take a 30-second break every half hour of reading to look at the distant view.
The ophthalmology team of the Faculty of Medicine of CUHK found that the incidence of myopia among school children has increased by 1.5 times during the epidemic.
(Photo by Luo Junhao)
The incidence of myopia within 8 months reached 19.4%
Affected by the epidemic, Hong Kong has repeatedly suspended classes or face-to-face classes, and students have switched to online teaching.
The ophthalmology team of the School of Medicine of CUHK recruited 709 children aged 6 to 8 to participate in the study and followed up for 8 months during the outbreak of new coronary pneumonia, school closures and restricted social activities from December 2019 to January 2020. Group), 576 people originally had no myopia, 112 of them all suffered from myopia. The incidence rate within 8 months was 19.4%. It is estimated that 29.68% of school children suffer from myopia in one year.
Nicole (left) has a sudden increase of 125 degrees in myopia within 7 months.
(Photo by Luo Junhao)
The control group consisted of 1,084 children of the same age who had completed three-year follow-up before January 2020. 886 people had no myopia at all. During the follow-up period, 324 people suffered from myopia, that is, the average annual incidence rate was 11.63%.
The incidence of the new crown epidemic group was 1.5 times higher than that of the control group.
The new crown epidemic group deepens by 80 degrees each year, and the axial length increases by 0.45mm each year; the control group deepens by 41 degrees each year, and the axial length increases by 0.28mm each year.
In terms of living habits, the COVID-19 group had only 24 minutes of outdoor activities per day and an average of 7 hours indoors with electronic screens; the control group had 75 minutes outdoors and 2.5 hours with electronic screens.
Ren Zhuosheng suggested that school children increase outdoor activities and take a 30-second break every 30 minutes of reading to look at the distant view.
(Photo by Luo Junhao)
Use electronic products to tighten the ciliary muscles for a long time and deepen myopia
Lead researcher and associate professor of the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science at CUHK Medical School Ren Zhuosheng said that one of myopia is caused by eyeball lengthening, and light can stimulate the hormone dopamine in the body. Dopamine can reduce the risk of eyeball lengthening by 30% and reduce the chance of developing myopia; The use of electronic products means that the more time to see things up close, the long-term tightening of the ciliary muscles will deepen myopia.
The ophthalmology team of the Faculty of Medicine of CUHK found that the incidence of myopia among school children has increased by 1.5 times during the epidemic.
(Photo by Luo Junhao)
8-year-old girl uses electronic products for about 4 hours under the epidemic
At the age of 8, Nicole, who is about to enter the third grade of elementary school, had 400 degrees of myopia in both her left and right eyes in January 2020, and it has risen to 525 degrees in August of the same year.
She pointed out that when reading books, she was too engrossed and would read for 1 to 1.5 hours continuously. Before the epidemic, only used electronic products for half an hour a day, and it was more than 4 hours under the epidemic, and outdoor sports were also reduced.
When she read at close range for a long time, she felt tired in her eyes.
Starting from August last year, she was medically advised to instill a low concentration of 0.05% atropine eye drops every night. In April this year, her myopia did not worsen in both eyes, 500 degrees in the right eye and 475 degrees in the left eye; this month, the right eye was examined at 525 degrees. 475 degrees in the left eye.
Experts suggest that every 30 minutes of reading, you should take a 30-second break to look at the distant view.
(Photo by Zhu Haiqi)
Myopia of a school child in 8 months deepened by 150 degrees, all due to the machine not leaving the hand
Wu Peixia, head nurse of the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science of the School of Medicine of CUHK, mentioned that another 8-year-old girl had only more than 100 degrees of myopia at first, but it increased by 150 degrees within 8 months because of "the machine does not leave the hand."
It is recommended to be outdoors for at least 14 hours a week
Ren Zhuosheng mentioned that atropine eye drops can relax the ciliary muscles and thicken the choroid to improve myopia, but it is not suitable for people who are sensitive to light or drugs.
The team warned school children that there may be a "myopia boom" under the epidemic. It is recommended that school children increase outdoor activities by two hours a day, about 14 hours a week; cultivate good reading habits, take a 30-second break after every 30 minutes of reading. , Keep a distance of 30 to 50 cm when reading, and avoid reading and working in a dark environment.
The research results have been published in the international journal "British Journal of Ophthalmology".
The ophthalmology team of the Faculty of Medicine of CUHK found that the incidence of myopia among school children has increased by 1.5 times during the epidemic.
(Photo by Luo Junhao)
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