After school starts, I can’t see the blackboard clearly. Does that mean I am nearsighted?

Primary and secondary school students in Wuhan have started school

Recently, many parents have reported

Received a call from the teacher

I found that my child squinted at the blackboard during class.

“Is my child nearsighted?”

When children cannot see the blackboard clearly

Parents should know these three points in advance

Truth 1: Distinguish between true myopia and false myopia

Is there a difference between true and false myopia? Maybe this is the first time many parents have heard of this, but it is true. When many teenagers and children first develop symptoms of myopia, it may be false myopia, and they do not need glasses at all. Let the eyes get enough rest, and after reasonable adjustment by the doctor, vision can be completely restored to normal.

On the contrary, if you really wear glasses for pseudomyopia, it will slowly develop into true myopia over time. True myopia is irreversible and you must wear glasses or have myopia surgery in adulthood to see clearly. Therefore, you must pay attention to this point.

Truth 2: Does not being able to see the blackboard clearly necessarily mean I am nearsighted?

Myopia can cause the blackboard to be unclear, and other eye diseases in children can also cause the blackboard to be unclear. Children with amblyopia, strabismus, congenital cataracts, etc. will have symptoms of decreased vision.

Dai Hongbin, a member of the Standing Committee of the Ophthalmology Branch of Hubei Provincial Association of Traditional Chinese Medicine and chief physician of strabismus and amblyopia and pediatric ophthalmology at Wuhan University Aier Eye Hospital (Aier Eye Hospital Group Hubei General Hospital), said that children's eye diseases should be treated in time, and the earlier the better. Because adolescents and children are in the critical period of vision development, if the treatment opportunity is missed, the resulting vision damage may be irreversible in adulthood.

Truth 3: At what age should a child have a vision screening?

Many parents may not know what the normal vision of children should be at each age from birth to adulthood. Dai Hongbin reminds that it is recommended to have a complete eye examination after the child is 3 years old to see if there are any abnormalities in vision development.

For children who are already myopic, their vision should be checked every six months. Because adolescents and children are in a period of rapid progression of myopia, checking their vision every six months can help us understand their vision early and intervene as early as possible to prevent and delay the rapid progression of myopia. This is especially true for parents who are myopic or highly myopic.