Myopia is a disease of the eye apparatus, in which the patient clearly sees objects at a close distance from the face, but does not see far away. Depending on the degree of damage by the mechanism of accommodation, ophthalmology distinguishes the degree of the disease - a person may completely lose the ability to distinguish the outlines of objects at a distance of more than five centimeters from the face. In medical parlance, nearsightedness is called myopia. This is an incurable disease that can only get worse with age. Knowing the rules of visual hygiene and preventing myopia in children and adolescents is the key to clear vision and excellent vision at any age.
What causes myopia?
The most common disease of the visual apparatus is myopia, or nearsightedness. In this pathological condition, an elongation of the eyeball and a deviation along the axis are characteristic, the more - the worse the person sees into the distance. The opposite process is farsightedness, in which the patient does not distinguish small text. His eye apparatus is simply notcan focus on nearby details as the apple is flattened.
On average, the length of an adult's eye is 2-2.2 centimeters. With myopia - three centimeters or more. The shape resembles an ellipse or a chicken egg. Parallel rays of light entering the eye converge to a single point in front of the retina, which is why myopia occurs. If they were located on the surface, the pathology of vision would not have arisen.
The most common reason for the lengthening of the eyeball is overstrain of the muscles of the visual apparatus. This condition occurs most often due to prolonged work at the desk. Often the real diagnosis of myopia is preceded by a spasm of accommodation or the so-called false myopia. The changes may be so slight that the disease goes unnoticed for the first two years.
In some cases, myopia develops for no apparent reason, even if all measures to prevent this disease are observed. In this case, there is a genetic factor: myopia is usually traced through the generation. That is, if a grandmother suffered from an illness, then the probability of similar problems in grandchildren is 20-25%.
Who is at particular risk
Most often, ophthalmologists diagnose spasm of accommodation in school-age children - aged seven to twelve. This condition is not yet full-fledged myopia, and when performing the prevention of myopia in children, diopters can be easily restored tonormal value. Not only schoolchildren, but also other categories of citizens are at particular risk.
Who should be involved in the prevention of myopia and visual impairment of other etiologies:
- office employees (those who spend more than six hours a day in front of the monitor);
- to programmers;
- accountants;
- school teachers;
- people of all professions who are forced to work at a computer for more than five hours a day.
Of course, adults have no choice: they have to earn a living, and many are forced to sit in front of the monitor for ten or more hours a day. In such a situation, special attention should be paid to preventive measures for myopia and other eye diseases. Regularly drink dietary supplements with thiamine, pyridoxine and blueberry extract. You should not allow the development of iodine, iron, magnesium deficiency.
Effect of posture on vision
Posture and a he althy spine are the basis for clear vision and a he althy eye apparatus. People who have been diagnosed with osteochondrosis, scoliosis, kyphosis, flat feet have practically no chance of maintaining the he alth of the lens. Over the years, impaired blood circulation will do its job - the tissue of the eyeball will stop receiving enough nutrients, and pathological changes will begin. Most often it is farsightedness, astigmatism, myopia.
Prevention of posture disorders and flat feet is also a prerequisite for eye he alth. Don't underestimate the importance of he althycirculation.
No wonder one of the most important points in the prevention of myopia in children and adolescents is the performance of gymnastics, which will ensure the mobility of the spine. Particular attention should be paid to exercises for the cervical and thoracic region.
Myopia Prevention List
Ophthalmology highlights the following most effective measures to prevent myopia in schoolchildren and adults:
- physiotherapy;
- exercises for the eyeball;
- exercises for the cervical spine;
- good nutrition;
- taking dietary supplements;
- use of medical drops and injections under the sclera.
For each individual patient, it is worth individually selecting a set of measures. If the cause of the development of myopia is poor nutrition and a regime in which accommodation spasm is inevitable, these causes should be eliminated first of all. When diagnosing a patient with osteochondrosis of the cervical spine, you need to throw all your strength into eliminating this pathology.
Physiotherapeutic methods of prevention
List of the most effective physical therapy methods to prevent the development of myopia:
- electrotherapy;
- shock wave therapy;
- vibromassage;
- laser therapy;
- balneotherapy;
- magnetotherapy.
You can take a course of these procedures for a fee at diagnostic centers or for free at a polyclinic. Often people buy devices to perform physiotherapy procedures fortreatment at home.
Magnetotherapy and vibration massage are the two most effective ways to prevent the development of myopia in the presence of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine. These are painless and even pleasant procedures. The role of the nurse in the prevention of myopia through physiotherapy is to explain to the patient that the electrodes are not at all so safe. When using special equipment, you must follow a number of safety precautions and do not harm yourself.
Medicated methods of prevention
The use of pills, dietary supplements and eye drops are among the methods of drug prevention of myopia. The most effective of them:
- "Blueberry Forte" from the domestic company "Evalar" is a dietary supplement created specifically for people who want to maintain the he alth of the eye apparatus until old age. The complex is enriched with blueberry extract and retinol. Contains zinc and ascorbic acid. Prevents the development of myopia, astigmatism, normalizes intraocular pressure.
- "Vitrum Vision Forte" is a tableted vitamin and mineral complex for the prevention of myopia in children and adults. Contains the necessary set of vitamins and microelements - selenium, iodine, zinc, iron, thiamine, pyridoxine, nicotinic acid. Effective when used in long courses (at least three months of continuous use).
- "Pentovit" - tableted vitamin complex. Contains incomposition of pyridoxine (vitamin B6), cyanocobalamin (vitamin B12), thiamine (vitamin B1), which are necessary for normal blood circulation of the visual apparatus and brain regions responsible for adequate processing of signals received by the lens.
- "Taufon" produces in the form of drops and ampoules with liquid for injection under the sclera. Vitamin preparation, the main active ingredient of which is the amino acid taurine. If the patient prefers to use "Taufon" for injections, a specialist is needed who will carry them out. The process of insertion under the sclera requires the acquired skills of the confident hand of an experienced physician.
- "Irifrin" is a modern drug that allows you to achieve pupil dilation without side effects for the patient. Approved for home use. Unlike other drops that can expand the pupil, it has practically no contraindications and side effects. When instilled at night, "Irifrin" helps to relax the optic nerve and relieve eye fatigue.
The concept of hygiene prevention of vision problems
Most patients, when they hear about eye hygiene, think about rinsing their eyes with water. This is not true. The concept implies the implementation of simple rules that will help not only to prevent myopia, but also to reduce the severity of the symptoms of almost all eye diseases:
- the room should be well lit, optimally - daylight sunlight;
- do not read or write under yellow incandescent light;
- do not strain the eye apparatus while lying down (i.e. do not read in bed);
- you can watch TV no more than an hour a day, work at the monitor - no more than two hours;
- when reading and writing, the posture should be straight - the head does not bend over the paper, the back is not hunched.
The role of the nurse in the prevention of myopia in children is important: it is her job to convey to the kids the importance of eye hygiene rules. An ophthalmologist examines the condition of the eyeball. It also reveals the degree of pathology - if myopia is all diagnosed, then it is very important to find out the number of diopters and axis deviation. Further treatment and prognosis depend on these indicators. In some cases, only surgical laser treatment can help.
List of exercises to prevent myopia
If a person is at risk of eye diseases, he should definitely perform special exercises regularly. The eye apparatus has muscles, and they also need competent and regular training. To carry it out, you need to remember a special set of exercises. Prevention of myopia in children and adolescents includes daily exercise for ten to fifteen minutes a day.
- Close your eyes, feel complete relaxation. It is advisable to practice in complete silence.
- Open your eyelids (some people find it more comfortable to do gymnastics with them closed - there's nothing wrong with that).
- Look as high as possible, turning the pupils as far as possiblehigher, then lower them as low as possible. Repeat ten times.
- Look as far to the left as possible, then in the opposite direction. Repeat ten to fifteen times.
- Close your eyes at the bridge of your nose, then relax your eyeball.
- Perform circular movements of the pupils, first ten times clockwise, then the same number in the opposite direction.
Exercise for training accommodation
A wonderful exercise that relieves accommodation spasm:
- draw a dot with a diameter of 0.5 cm on the window glass with a red marker;
- go to the window so that the dot is at eye level, at a distance of about 50 cm from the pupil;
- look for ten seconds at a point, but at the sky or at a distant tree.
The meaning of this exercise is that with a constant change in the object of the point of view, the ability of the eye apparatus to focus on an object located at a different distance from the face is trained. Regular performance of this exercise is not only an excellent prevention of myopia, but will also help restore vision by one or two diopters with already diagnosed myopia.
Nutrition as a measure to prevent vision problems
If a person is starving or constantly on strict diets, he may lose clarity of vision. Most often this is a reversible process, but in some cases it becomes permanent.
If a person wants to maintain he althy vision into old age, he should follow the following dietary rules:
- get your daily protein intake andamino acids - they are important for the muscles of the eye apparatus, which are responsible for the process of accommodation;
- try to eat blueberries as often as possible - they contain bioflavonoids that nourish the optic nerve;
- lean on dairy products - they are rich in amino acids and calcium, which will help prevent the development of bone and skeletal diseases, as well as cervical osteochondrosis (it was said above that it is a common cause of eye diseases).
Medical advice: how to maintain clear vision into old age
Myopia prevention memo should begin with the words "Take care of your eyesight from a young age." Alas, today schoolchildren by the age of ten years in about 25% of cases have acquired myopia. This is the most common disease of the visual apparatus among young people. Then schoolchildren are waiting for exams, institute, office work. As a result, by the age of thirty, people have a whole bunch of visual pathologies.
The simple rules of eye hygiene, which the nurse informs at each ophthalmologist's consultation, will help maintain eye he alth until old age:
- do not read or strain your eyes in transport (metro and trains are not a place to study);
- get your protein and amino acids daily, don't starve or diet;
- monitor your posture and prevent the development of diseases of the spine;
- computer monitor should be located at a distance of 40-45 centimeters from the eyeball;
- do not read in dim lightindoors and under artificial lighting.
