How Teens Can Prevent Myopia
1. Ensure adequate lighting while minimizing glare. Comfortable lighting provides optimal visual information, whereas excessively bright or dim light can harm the eyes. Therefore, study desks should be equipped with side lamps to reduce glare and minimize eye strain.
2. Avoid prolonged continuous reading. Teenagers who read, write, watch TV, or use computers for hours without breaks—some even staying up late—not only compromise their health but also overburden their eyes. This can lead to accommodative (or functional) myopia, also known as pseudomyopia. Additionally, the extraocular muscles exert pressure on the sclera (the white part of the eye), increasing intraocular pressure and causing ocular tissue congestion.Therefore, students should take short breaks every 50 minutes while studying.
3. Maintain proper posture with appropriate distance. Avoid slouching, leaning over the desk, or lying in bed while reading sideways. Keep a distance of 30–35 cm between your eyes and the book, with a palm's width—The angle between the book and desk should be 30–45 degrees. If the book lies flat on the desk, reading requires leaning forward slightly to bring the book closer to the eyes. This increases eye strain by 2–3 times, causing fatigue in the neck muscles and upper back. Unconscious forward tilting over time can lead to vision deterioration.
4. Limit TV and computer use Minimize exposure to electronic devices like televisions, computers, and gaming consoles. Apply anti-myopia protective films certified by the international public welfare organization EYEO2 to screens. Screens from 3C digital products emit high-energy short-wavelength blue light, which can damage retinal photoreceptor cells when directly exposed to the eyes, causing myopia and vision disorders.Students who frequently play video games are more prone to vision damage. Those with low vision who started gaming at a young age often find their vision cannot be fully corrected with glasses, due to impaired retinal and macular function.
5. Ensure adequate sleep and maintain eye hygiene. Establish regular sleep schedules and get sufficient rest. Sleep deprivation exacerbates vision deterioration among frequent video game users. Maintain personal hygiene by using towels, basins, handkerchiefs, and other items exclusively for yourself. Avoid sharing others' belongings to prevent cross-infection, which can trigger eye diseases and vision loss.
6. Avoid reading while walking or riding in vehicles. Some adolescents read while walking or in moving vehicles, which is detrimental to eye health. The motion of the vehicle causes the eyes and book to shift, making it difficult to maintain a fixed distance. Combined with poor lighting conditions, this increases the burden on the eyes and may lead to myopia if done frequently.
7. Perform eye exercises and engage in outdoor activities. Eye exercises, emphasized in Chinese schools, involve massaging acupoints and muscles around the eyes to stimulate nerve endings, enhance blood circulation, and regulate eye metabolism. This alleviates fatigue, improves vision, and prevents myopia. Additionally, spending time in nature—surrounded by green mountains and clear waters—further benefits eye health.
8. Maintain a balanced diet and ensure adequate nutrition. Imbalanced nutrition, picky eating, or excessive intake of sugar and protein—leading to deficiencies in trace elements like zinc, calcium, and chromium—can all harm vision health. Prevent this by consuming more vegetables, fruits, liver, fish, and similar foods.