Myopia in schoolchildren - causes, treatment and prevention of ailment

Many schoolchildren, beginning with the earliest classes, begin to face the first pathologies of vision - myopia or astigmatism.Many parents ask themselves the question "What is the cause of the ailment?" This is usually attributed to the increased strain on the organs of vision characteristic of this period.On average, this disease is noted in only 3% of children upon entering the school and 25% after graduation.About this disease, how it is formed, and how to correctly diagnose it and further treat it, will tell this material.

What it is

Myopia (myopia) is a pathology of vision, in which the eye has an elongated shape. The rays of light with myopia are focused in front of the retina.As a result, a person suffering from this disease sees only close objects well.In order to see objects distant from it, it is often necessary to use corrective optics.

Diagnosis in the child myopia can be at the age of 8 years, when the processes of formation of the organs of vision are completely completed.

However, it is during this period that the load on the eyes due to the learning process is substantially increased, in As a result, myopia develops in children of junior and middle school age in every fourth the case.The disease manifests itself as in those who have a hereditary predisposition to the disease, and those in whose families this pathology was not.

Also, sometimes schoolchildren develop false myopia. It appears as a result of a spasm of accommodation - overwork of the eye with prolonged work with objects at close range - books, notebooks and other.

However, since there is no change in the length of the focus, when the spasm itself is removed, such a myopia very quickly passes.However, if the disease is not diagnosed and treated in a timely manner, it can also lead to consequences no less severe than ordinary myopia.Both false and true myopia only progress with the years, while the possibility of mild correction of vision decreases.It is for this reason that many schoolchildren are already issued with serious vision problems that at times reduce the quality of their lives.

In order to avoid such results, it is very important to carefully consider the issues of eye hygiene in the child and when the first symptoms of the disease appear, see a doctor.

Causes

The main cause of myopia in school-age children is an increase in the length of the eye, at which the focal point is displaced.The following factors may lead to such changes:

• Heredity;
• Failure to meet the requirements for visual hygiene;
• Overwork;
• General weakening of the body;
• Excessive strain on the eyes, long work with objects at a small distance (textbooks, exercise books, other teaching materials).

Accompanying factors, which primarily affect the dynamics of the disease, are: insufficient illumination of the child's workplace, Use of manuals with small or fuzzy font, long work with a computer or portable devices - a laptop, tablet.

How to minimize the strain on the eyes while working at the computer and other gadgets read here.

In most cases, several factors simultaneously lead to the development of myopia in school-age children, for example, heredity, weakened organism, work in a little-lit room. However, often for the development of ailment there is only one reason.

Symptoms

Signs of myopia in schoolchildren, especially younger ones, are more visible to parents or teachers who work with the child.They can manifest as follows:

• The child experiences problems when considering far-away objects.
• He often bends low over notebooks and books.
• The schoolboy can not make out what is written on the board, if he is sitting far from it (for example, on the back desks), as a result of which he often errs in his work, he may fall during this period academic performance.
• With myopia, headaches or fatigue can occur.Also, a schoolboy can complain about eye fatigue after a long period of work.

It must be remembered that in most cases the student is not yet aware of his problem, therefore it is unlikely to ask his parents for help.

Meanwhile, the disease will progress while it can easily be adjusted with lenses and preventive exercises.That is why it is so important at this age to pay special attention to the problems of the vision of the baby and at the first suspicions of myopia to consult a specialist.

Diagnostics

If suspected of myopia, the child should be referred for examination to an ophthalmologist.A specialist to obtain complete information about the state of the child's eyes will designate such studies:

1. Visual examination of the eyes;
2. Checking visual acuity near and far with special tables with corrective lenses and without them;
3. Ultrasound of the eye to identify the type of myopia;
4. Refractometry and skiascopia for the determination of clinical refraction.

In the event that a doctor suspects of false myopia, the child may be assigned an additional diagnosis from a neurologist to avoid spasm of accommodation.After the child passes the examination, the ophthalmologist will be able to analyze the condition of his eyes and give an accurate opinion with recommendations.

Treatment

The doctor can decide on choosing methods of treating myopia only on the basis of diagnosis, identifying the main cause of the disease, individual features anatomy of the eyes of the schoolboy, and also checking the child for the presence of concomitant diseases, aggravating the course myopia.

Depending on the results of the diagnosis, the child may be assigned such treatment measures:

• Vacuum massage;
• Wearing glasses or contact lenses for vision correction;
• Massage of the cervical spine;
• Electrostimulation and other methods of hardware treatment.

In complex cases of myopia, infrared laser therapy may be prescribed to a child.As for laser correction, it is not prescribed for patients under 18 years of age.

Also, the child, who was diagnosed with myopia, is placed on a dispensary record in a polyclinic, he it is necessary to visit the specialist every half a year and undergo an examination so that the doctor can track the dynamics disease.

A child for more effective treatment can also be prescribed special gymnastics for the eyes, additional recommendations for visual hygiene, as well as the intake of vitamins and special minerals.

In many cases, timely assistance allows if you do not get rid of myopia in a schoolboy, then slow the progression of the disease.The positive effect of treatment is observed in the vast majority of cases.

Complications

In the event that myopia was not detected in a timely manner and no measures were taken to prevent the disease, the disease can give the following complications:

• Decreased visual acuity;
• Development of the "lazy eye" symptom;
• Degenerative changes in the retina;
• At a high degree of a myopia - more serious diseases: a detachment or rupture of a retina.

However, it is easiest to warn in the school period, so an important step is to study the dynamics of myopia, which allows to predict the further course of the disease.

In most cases, the complications of myopia appear already in adulthood, less often - by the end of the school.

Prevention

In most cases, the development of myopia at school age can be prevented. For this, it is important to follow the basic recommendations for the prevention of vision. Their complex includes:

• Observance of hygiene of sight;
• Filling the diet with the products necessary for the proper formation of the organs of vision;
• Compliance with the daily routine;
• Gymnastics for the eyes;
• Prevention of pathological visual habits.

In the prevention of myopia, it is very important to pay attention to the following features of the organization of the educational process:

• level of lighting in classrooms;
• quality printing of textbooks, the use of adequate fonts in them;
• correct distribution of the load in the school.

Special attention to preventive measures should be given to those who have a hereditary predisposition to myopia. To do this, it is very important to acquaint the child with the requirements for visual hygiene before entering school, in which case the chances of preventing the disease will increase.

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conclusions

Currently, myopia among school-age children is quite common.However, with timely diagnosis, treatment, as well as taking preventive measures at this stage, it can be cope with and prevent the development of myopia in the future.Otherwise, you will doom the child to the constant wearing of glasses for sight, and then the application of contact optics.