{"id":44609,"date":"2022-10-17T00:01:04","date_gmt":"2022-10-17T04:01:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/reviewofmm.com\/?p=44609"},"modified":"2022-10-24T13:03:18","modified_gmt":"2022-10-24T17:03:18","slug":"myopia-prevention-strategies-benefit-young-eyes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/reviewofmm.com\/myopia-prevention-strategies-benefit-young-eyes\/","title":{"rendered":"Myopia Prevention Strategies Benefit Young Eyes"},"content":{"rendered":"
SPONSORED BY ALCON<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n October 17, 2022<\/strong><\/p>\n By Alan Landers, OD, MS, and Carla Mack, OD, MBA<\/b><\/p>\n ECPs have a professional responsibility to counsel children and their parents on preventative myopia strategies. Doing so can lead to lasting changes to children\u2019s long-term eye health.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n <\/p>\n Several factors can impact the likelihood that a child develops myopia \u2014 and the rate at which that myopia progresses. Eye care practitioners must encourage children to adhere to myopia prevention strategies that can potentially be protective against myopia and reduce the risk of eye health complications later in life. While genetic and non-genetic factors may come into play, it\u2019s essential to understand the measures that can be adopted to promote better visual health.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Here are some of the strategies that eye care professionals can suggest to patients and their parents to prevent the progression of myopia.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Apply the WHO Guidelines for Children Under 5<\/b> The guidelines are divided among different ages: infants less than 1 year old, children 1 to 2 years old, and children 3 to 4 years old. The WHO recommends that children under the age of 2 aren\u2019t exposed to screens, while children between the ages of 2 and 4 have no more than one hour of screen time each day. The guidelines also encourage children to stay active, engage in playtime and reading with caregivers, and follow age-appropriate sleep schedules. Additionally, parents are encouraged to monitor their children\u2019s eyesight and eye health with yearly comprehensive eye exams.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cOver the course of a day, a combination of more physical activity, less sedentary screen time, and longer sleep duration results in the greatest benefits,\u201d the report states. \u201cThese guidelines are intended to assist all countries in the development of national plans and programs aimed at increasing levels of physical activity, reducing sedentary time, and improving time spent sleeping in young children.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n More Time Outdoors and Less Time on Screens<\/b> Angelica Ly from the Brien Holden Vision Institute (BHVI) recently wrote an <\/span>article<\/a><\/strong> about how much outdoor time children require to have the most significant visual health outcomes. Dr. Ly points to papers published in the <\/span>International Myopia Institute\u2019s (IMI\u2019s) 2021 White Paper series<\/a><\/strong> for evidence of the benefits of kids spending more time outdoors. She explained that outdoor time is the only protective factor translated into a proven preventative intervention. Spending more time outdoors may offset the impact of parental myopia and high levels of near work.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n In terms of concrete numbers related to outdoor time, the more time, the better. Dr. Ly found that children who spend at least 13 hours per week outdoors are much more likely to develop myopia than children who spend more than 22.5 hours per week outdoors; this translates into just over three hours per day of outdoor time. However, increasing kids\u2019 outdoor time by 76 minutes daily may reduce their risk of myopia in half.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Similarly, the more time kids spend on digital devices, the higher their risk and severity of myopia. A recent global study conducted by <\/span>Foreman, et al.<\/a><\/strong> examined more than 3,000 studies related to screen time and myopia in children and young adults between the ages of three months and 33 years. The study showed that the more time kids spent on digital devices, the earlier they were introduced to such devices, the higher their risk of developing myopia, the more severe their myopia was likely to be, and the greater their axial elongation. The findings highlight the importance of ECPs educating patients and their parents about the risks of excessive screen time.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Follow the 20-20-2 Rule<\/b>
\n<\/b>In 2019, the <\/span>World Health Organization<\/a><\/strong> (WHO) released guidelines on physical activity, sedentary behavior, and sleep for children under the age of 5<\/a>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Applying the recommendations in the WHO guidelines during the first five years of life may reduce the incidence of myopia in children and will contribute to children\u2019s motor and cognitive development and lifelong health.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
\n<\/b>A great deal of myopia research has explored the link between outdoor time, digital device use, and myopia progression.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
\n<\/b>Spending a great deal of time near work \u2014 whether doing homework, reading, or scrolling on social media \u2014 can take a toll on the eyes. To help combat some of this eye stress, <\/span>Professor Caroline Klaver and the Erasmus University Myopia Research Group<\/a><\/strong> recommended following the <\/span>20-20-2 Rule<\/a><\/strong>. After 20 minutes of close work, children should gaze at an object in the distance for at least 20 seconds and be outside intermittently for at least two hours per day. This builds off of earlier guidance \u2014 the 20-20-20 Rule, which encouraged children to take a 20-second break every 20 minutes of near work by looking at something 20 feet away.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n