Parents must-know | What is hyperopia reserve

In the past two weeks, parents who brought their children to the Children's Vision Care Center often asked questions about "hyperopia reserve", "What does it mean that my child's hyperopia reserve is insufficient?" "What is hyperopia reserve?" ...

For parents and friends, hyperopia reserve is a more professional medical term. Let’s learn about it together today!

The concept of hyperopic reserve

Hyperopia reserve is the state of hyperopia during the process of emmetropization of visual development. The average axial length of a newborn baby is 16-17.3mm, compared with 22-24mm for adults. Infants and young children are almost all hyperopic. As they grow and develop, their vision gradually returns to normal. At the age of 8-12, the size of the eyeball is basically fixed, and the size of the axial length is close to that of adults. At this time, physiological hyperopia basically disappears. This process is called "emmetropization process."

The above picture is easier to understand:

Insufficient hyperopia reserve indicates a progression toward myopia and should be promptly intervened

Children are born with "hyperopia". Under normal circumstances, children under 3 years old should have a hyperopia reserve of less than 300 degrees. As the body develops, the eyeball gradually becomes emmetropized, and the anterior-posterior axis of the eye also slowly grows. The hyperopia reserve of children aged 3 to 8 years old decreases year by year; under normal circumstances, the average annual decrease is similar, until it decreases to 0.

The hyperopia reserve of some children decreases too quickly and does not reach the normal hyperopia reserve for their age. This is a signal sent to us by the eyes: the eyes are developing towards myopia.

Hyperopia reserve is a protective factor for the eyes, preventing us from becoming myopic so quickly. Measuring the hyperopia reserve value can help parents and doctors detect "hyperopia reserve deficiency" in their children before they become myopic, and intervene early if a tendency to myopia is discovered.

How to avoid excessive consumption of hyperopia reserve - four magic weapons

1. Increase your outdoor activity time and get enough sunshine

Studies have shown that two hours of outdoor activities a day can effectively reduce the incidence of myopia. Parents, don't let your children spend all their entertainment time watching TV, playing games, and attending a lot of cram schools; fully basking in the sun can effectively prevent myopia.

2. Adhere to the principles of "three ones" and "three 20s"

The "3 20s" principle: every 20 minutes of study, look 20 steps away for more than 20 seconds. Looking far away can give your eyes a timely and full relaxation and avoid eye fatigue.

3. Get enough sleep

Sufficient sleep plays a vital role in children's growth and development. Preschool children should get 10-13 hours of sleep a day, primary school students should get 9-10 hours of sleep a day, and middle school students should get 8-9 hours of sleep a day.

4. Regular eye health check-ups

For the sake of children's eye health, parents should start to have regular optometry and eye examinations when their children have a certain level of cognitive ability (generally over 3 years old), and intervene in time if any abnormalities (myopia, hyperopia, astigmatism, etc.) are found to protect their children's eye health to the greatest extent.

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