Alongside genetics, which plays an important role, the reason for the increase in cases we are witnessing can be ascribed to the greater commitment to close vision.
It is estimated that around half of the child population will be nearsighted in 2050. Not only that, in the new generations this visual defect will be even more important in terms of diopters and this could have negative repercussions beyond the difficulties in distant vision.
Why is myopia on the rise in children?
Next to the genetics which plays an important role, the reason probably to be ascribed to greater close visual engagement required of our little ones – he explains Paolo Nucci full professor of Ophthalmology at the University of Milan—. Close-up activities, such as studying, reading and spending hour after hour in front of electronic devices such as smartphones and tablets, are indeed myopic. It is no coincidence that it is now clear that myopia affects more in the more educated populationsIt is therefore reasonable to think that on a favorable family substrate, a relevant close activity can have a further negative impact. It would explain not only the boom in cases of myopia, but also their tendency to be more severe.
Can anything be done to counter this epidemic?
There are three roads that have been the most traveled in recent years and which have had the greatest following. To begin, the first anti-myopia strategy is to spend more time outdoors. In this way our eyes make less effort and tend to look from afar, with the result that the reactions related to hyper-accommodation, a phenomenon related to close activity, are diluted a little. Exposure to ultraviolet radiationmoreover, it would stimulate the production of dopamine, a neuromediator which, among its various functions, also has that of inhibit metalloproteasesenzymes that make the sclera (the opaque part of the outer tunic of the eye, ed) more yielding and therefore more prone to cause an elongation of the eyeball and therefore myopia.
Are there other preventive strategies besides being outdoors?
Another measure designed to limit the evolution of the myopic defect consists inuse of low concentration atropine eye drops. This substance, used in low dosages, would act as a kind of prodrug, stimulating the production of dopamine. Therefore, with an indirect mechanism, it would determine a stiffening of the scleral tissue, preventing the worsening of myopia. Finally there are available special lenses that have been studied for a long time and are based on the principle of peripheral defocus. In other words, it is lenses which, as it were, deceive the brain making him believe that the eye has already grown enough, thereby slowing down the elongation of the eyeball and, consequently, the increase in myopia.
What are the warning signs of myopia in children?
They are relatively simple to detect. The child typically approaches objects to identify them or often ask the desk mate or teacher what is on the blackboard. They are also to be regarded with suspicion the spoiled positions of the boss, which in three out of ten cases are linked to vision problems, as well as the child’s tendency to squint to focus on distant objects. The position “glued” to the television is less significant, because it is a frequent choice of the child, who tends to isolate himself from the world around him by approaching the screen. However, in order not to run the risk of not recognizing any visible disturbances better not to miss the recommended checks: at birth, especially if there are family eye diseases, at 3, 6 and around 10 years when myopia usually develops.
February 24, 2022 (change February 24, 2022 | 18:42)
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