With children confined at home for months of online classes, parents have become increasingly vigilant about protecting their vision. As a result, all sorts of eye-nourishing remedies and vision-protecting gadgets have been deployed. However, common misconceptions about myopia prevention persist in daily life. Today, experts from the Beijing Institute of Health Education provide the correct answers.Meanwhile, the National Health Commission recently released the "Guidelines for Myopia Prevention Among Children and Adolescents During the COVID-19 Pandemic" (hereafter referred to as the "Guidelines"), outlining the true secrets to preventing myopia.
Eating Carrots Does Not Prevent Myopia
Can eating carrots prevent myopia? The answer is "no." The primary nutritional feature of carrots is their rich carotenoid content, with β-carotene accounting for approximately 85% andwith alpha-carotene making up less than 15%. These compounds perform multiple health-promoting functions in the body: antioxidant effects, immune regulation, and inhibition of cancer cell proliferation. While carrots do offer some benefits for vision—because the beta-carotene in carrots can be converted into vitamin A in the human body—this does not prevent myopia.Experts indicate that regular consumption of carbonated beverages not only degrades physical health but can also accelerate myopia progression. Frequent intake reduces calcium levels in the body, decreasing calcium content in the sclera. This causes the eyeball wall to lose its normal elasticity, making the eyeball prone to elongation and leading to rapid increases in myopia.Research reveals that most nearsighted individuals also lack trace elements like zinc and chromium. Additionally, excessive sugar intake reduces levels of the growth factor "Protein 3," which effectively inhibits eyeball elongation.
Adolescents should consume calcium-rich foods such as animal cartilage, beans, dried shrimp, eggs, peanuts, and dates, while minimizing carbonated drinks—especially cola.This ensures adequate daily calcium intake, strengthening the body while slowing the progression of myopia. Outdoor Exercise: The Secret to Healthy Eyes While spending heavily on blue-light-blocking glasses or vision correction devices for your child, you may not realize the simplest and most effective way to protect their eyes is right at your fingertips.The "Guidelines" emphasize that appropriate outdoor activities not only improve children's overall health but also play a crucial role in preventing and controlling myopia among children and adolescents. Daytime activities with ample sunlight exposure can not only prevent myopia onset but also help control its progression in children who are already nearsighted.
With the pandemic still ongoing, how can we increase outdoor activities under natural light conditions? The "Guidelines" offer some practical tips.For instance: - During the pandemic, school physical education classes and 30-minute recess periods should be held outdoors, staggered to reduce crowding and increase physical distancing during activities. - Ensure at least 2 hours of daily outdoor activity; encourage children and adolescents with myopia to spend over 3 hours outdoors daily. - After returning to school, promote outdoor sun exposure through walking to and from school, stepping outside during breaks, and engaging in outdoor activities before completing homework after school.
What precautions should be taken during outdoor activities? Experts from the Beijing Institute of Health Education advise:
1. Children should minimize close contact with others outdoors, avoid gathering in groups, and wear masks when interacting with peers or others.
2. Children, especially younger ones, should engage in outdoor activities under adult supervision. Parents should pay attention to children's hygiene, particularly hand hygiene.Children must be instructed not to touch their mouth, nose, or eyes with their hands.
3. Children should not spit on the ground during outdoor activities. When sneezing or coughing, they should cover their mouth and nose with a tissue or their elbow.
4. After returning home from outdoor activities, promptly remove outerwear and wash hands. With these safety measures in place, outdoor activities are highly beneficial for children.
Prioritize larger screens for electronic devices
Numerous electronic devices are available for children's online classes. While phones and tablets are compact and portable, televisions and desktop computers offer larger screens. Which option causes the least eye strain? Recent guidelines provide the answer: Whenever possible, choose electronic devices with larger screens, prioritizing projectors, televisions, desktop computers, laptops, tablets, and finally phones.
Simultaneously, maintain appropriate viewing distances: when using a projector, maintain a viewing distance of at least 3 meters; when using a TV, maintain a viewing distance of at least four times the screen's diagonal length; when using a computer, maintain a viewing distance of at least 50 centimeters (approximately one arm's length).
Position electronic devices away from direct sunlight or light sources, with screens angled toward windows to prevent glare from irritating the eyes. Select devices with high screen resolution and appropriate clarity. Ensure the top of the screen aligns with the user's eye level, and adjust brightness to a comfortable level—neither too bright nor too dim.
The guidelines also specify clear requirements for children's online learning, mandating limits on electronic device usage during such sessions. Daily online learning time should not exceed 2.5 hours for elementary students, with each session capped at 20 minutes; middle school students should not exceed 4 hours daily, with sessions limited to 30 minutes each. Non-academic screen time should be minimized, with cumulative daily usage for non-educational purposes not exceeding 1 hour, excluding scheduled online classes arranged by education authorities.