What is the three-level prevention of myopia?

The prevention and control of myopia among children and adolescents is a systematic project that requires the leadership of the government and the joint efforts of the whole society. The "Technical Guidelines for the Prevention and Control of Myopia among Children and Adolescents" promulgated and implemented by the National Health Commission proposes three-level myopia prevention and control measures, and makes an overall layout and guidance for the prevention and control of myopia from the public health level. We advocate that the whole people understand the three-level prevention and control measures for myopia prevention and control, and jointly maintain the healthy development of children and adolescents' vision.

Popularizing the core knowledge of myopia prevention and control, cultivating healthy eye behavior, building a visually healthy environment, and increasing daytime outdoor activities are the primary prevention measures for myopia in children and adolescents. Among them, cultivating healthy eye behavior is crucial in daily life. First of all, we should consciously reduce the use of electronic screen products. Primary and secondary school students should not use electronic screen products for non-learning purposes for more than 15 minutes at a time, and the cumulative time per day should not exceed 1 hour. After using electronic screen products for 30 to 40 minutes of study, they should rest and relax for 10 minutes; secondly, they should ensure adequate sleep. Primary school students, junior high school students, and high school students should sleep no less than 10, 9, and 8 hours a day, respectively; in addition, they should develop good reading and writing habits. Reading and writing should be done in a well-lit and well-lit environment. Do not read or use electronic screen products while walking, eating, lying down, in a shaking car, in dim light or under direct sunlight. Maintain the correct reading and writing posture: the fingertips holding the pen are 1 inch away from the tip of the pen, the chest is one fist away from the table, and the book is one foot away from the glasses. The continuous eye use time for reading and writing should not exceed 40 minutes. Finally, it is also necessary to ensure that eye exercises are done once in the morning and once in the afternoon. Sufficient daytime outdoor activities are related to the prevention and control of myopia. It is recommended that daytime outdoor activities be conducted for at least 2 hours a day. In kindergarten, it is recommended that daytime outdoor activities be conducted for 3 hours. The time spent playing with mobile phones, watching TV or using computers should be controlled within 1 hour.

Establishing vision health records, regularly screening for myopia and other refractive errors and correcting them in time are secondary measures for myopia prevention and control. For those who already have myopia, they should be fitted with accurate glasses or take other corrective measures under the guidance of a specialist. At the same time, it is recommended that primary and secondary school students increase their daytime outdoor activities on top of their 2-hour daytime activities.

Preventing the occurrence of pathological myopia is a third-level prevention and control measure. After myopia is diagnosed, a comprehensive eye examination should be conducted every six months to detect myopia-related complications at an early stage, and early intervention and treatment can be carried out, thereby effectively reducing the incidence of blinding eye diseases.

Firmly grasp the three-level myopia prevention and control measures. Parents should play a leading or role model, actively create a healthy family atmosphere, establish health awareness, cultivate healthy behaviors, carry out diverse parent-child outdoor activities, reduce screen time, discover children's health problems early and intervene in time.

(Lv Tianbin, deputy director of the Contact Lens Department of Henan Provincial People's Hospital, associate chief physician)