Bathing your eyes in the sun, this sport will make protecting your eyesight more interesting

In recent years, myopia has shown a trend of high incidence and younger age among children and adolescents in my country. According to data from the National Health Commission, the overall myopia rate among children and adolescents nationwide was 53.6% in 2022, which means that almost one in every two children and adolescents is myopic. The age threshold for myopia prevention and control has been moved forward from 6-11 years old to 3-7 years old.

On August 19, an eye-care fun sports meeting was held in Tanhualin, sponsored by the Civil Affairs Bureau of Wuchang District, Wuhan City, and co-organized by the Jingchu Social Work Service Center of Hubei Province and the Aier Eye Hospital affiliated to Wuhan University. The event combined myopia prevention and control, health education and daily exercise, and set up a number of activities that require hand-eye coordination and a combination of near and far, encouraging children to go outdoors and "bathe" in the sun.

Aim, throw, hit... Each frisbee accurately hits the numbers in the nine-square grid, causing cheers from the children; "Vision Competition" requires quick eyes and steady hands to hold marbles; throwing sandbags tests eyesight. Through these carefully designed game projects, the children unknowingly increase the length of outdoor activities and achieve the purpose of relaxing their eyes.

After completing the sports meeting, the doctor also performed a vision test for each child to help parents better understand their children's eye development and provide professional advice to everyone. "This eye-loving fun sports meeting is very well organized. Not only can we participate in interactive experiences, but we can also learn ophthalmic knowledge." said a parent.

"Compared to simple science lectures, fun sports will increase outdoor activity time, allowing children to learn eye protection habits subtly, which is more popular with children and parents." At the event, Dr. Wang Wenhuan from the Aier Eye Hospital affiliated to Wuhan University introduced that through this eye protection sports meeting, parents and children can learn scientific methods to prevent myopia and understand the importance of myopia prevention and control, thereby enhancing awareness of scientific eye use and eye protection.

Dai Hongbin, director of the strabismus and pediatric ophthalmology department at the Aier Eye Hospital affiliated to Wuhan University, reminded that prevention is more important than control in myopia prevention and control, and family prevention and control is the key. Parents should strengthen guidance and urge their children to develop healthy eye habits. After a child becomes myopic, they should also do a good job of delaying the progression of myopia, ensuring that the child has 2 hours of outdoor exercise time every day; reduce the time the child spends using the eyes at close range, and follow the 20-20-20 principle, that is, after every 20 minutes of using electronic products, they should look up and look 20 feet (about 6 meters) away for 20 seconds or more.