Eyeball growth retardation. Causes and treatment of farsightedness in children. Normal human eye sizes

In the “What’s new?” section The Village speaks to people who know better than others what is happening in various spheres of city life: in education, in the labor and real estate markets, in the culture and personal lives of Muscovites. This time, The Village correspondent Alexandra Sheveleva learned from an ophthalmologist, medical adviser on professional issues at Johnson & Johnson Vision Care in Russia and the CIS, associate professor of the Department of Ophthalmology of the IPK FMBA Irina Leshchenko, why there are more and more myopic people in the world, how to install a work computer in relation to windows and whether carrots will help those with vision problems.

About why so many are myopic

- What happens to vision? Are there any statistics on how many people need vision correction?

A large number of people need correction: a third of them have astigmatism, some have nearsightedness (myopia), some have farsightedness. In people over 40 years of age, presbyopia begins - when a person has problems reading at close range; in order to read at close range, he needs additional glasses.

- Why? Do you already understand the causes of myopia? Is this a hereditary factor?

The causes of myopia are not fully known, but, of course, heredity plays a role. It has been proven that if parents have myopia, then their children will also have it. The genes that are responsible for myopia are stronger, so they dominate and are passed on. But there are many cases where parents do not have myopia, but their children develop it. This is due to the presence of all kinds of gadgets in our lives, because people have really begun to spend a lot of time in front of monitors and screens. That is, vision is always tuned to a close distance, which creates a prerequisite for the development of myopia. The word “myopia” itself means that objects are brought close to the eyes with the hands. This suggests that nearsighted people have poor distance vision. And if a person with good vision constantly looks at a close distance, then he provokes the development of myopia.

- That is, it has already been statistically proven that there are more myopic people?

Yes, statistically proven. Asian countries have been studied especially carefully, because in Hong Kong, China, Taiwan, and Malaysia there are more people with myopia than in Europe. In these countries, almost 70% of the total population suffers from myopia. Perhaps these are features of the influence of urbanization, features of their writing, because hieroglyphs are much more difficult to perceive than our letters. Perhaps this is due to growth hormones, to the biochemical processes in the body that cause the eye to grow. As the eye grows, myopia grows and progresses.

- Does myopia increase due to the size of the eye?

Normally, the eye of an adult should have a length of 23.5, maximum 24 millimeters. If the eye size is more than 24 millimeters, this already means that the eye is myopic. And an increase in eye size by 1 millimeter leads to an increase in myopia by about 0.33 diopters.

- So our eyes are all growing?

People's eyes grow from childhood.

In the Krasnodar region, where more sunny days There are fewer people with myopia than in the Far North

The eye should stop growing at 18–20 years of age. As a rule, after this age myopia practically does not progress. Its progression is associated with factors other than elongation of the eyeball. If in childhood, for example at 12 years old, a child’s eyeball reaches a size of 24 millimeters and begins to grow further and the eyeball becomes, for example, 24.5 millimeters, myopia of approximately 1.5 diopters appears. And why the eye grows, experts all over the world cannot answer. There are different theories, but they boil down to one thing: the eye grows more than is necessary for clear vision.

- Widespread myopia appeared only in the 21st century?

Why? She has always been there. Myopia is a pathology that has been known since ancient times. But why myopia progresses there is no clear answer.

- It turns out that for a certain percentage of people, the eye stops growing at the age of 20?

Yes. At birth, it may be slightly smaller in size. Some people are born with larger eyes, others are born with smaller eyes. For example, why are children born myopic to nearsighted parents? Because initially it is at the genetic level that they are given a larger eyeball size.

About the dangers of writing

- How many people are myopic in Russia today?

According to statistics, 25%, maximum - 30%.

- Varying degrees of severity?

If we are talking about high myopia (above 6 diopters), then, probably, in general, somewhere around 5-6% of people have a high degree. Of course, the majority of people are with moderate myopia (about 3 diopters).

- This is how I understand: if a person is lucky, he has normal eyes, but if he is unlucky, his eyeball at birth is larger than it should be. But there are other factors, as you say, the use of gadgets?

Prolonged exercise at close range leads to the appearance of factors that contribute to the progression of myopia.

- How does this happen? The size of the eyeball is certain; we watch TV or the computer. So what happens? Why does vision change?

It is not the vision that changes, but the eye that grows larger than necessary.

- Is he stretching out?

There is no clear answer in the world to the question of how myopia progresses. There are various risk factors: prolonged work at close distances, poor lighting conditions, uncomfortable posture, strain on the neck, short time spent in fresh air, short daylight hours. There is evidence that in the Krasnodar Territory, where there are more sunny days and longer daylight hours, there are fewer people with myopia than in the Far North, where there are more myopic people. But for some people these risk factors work, for others they don’t. There are people who don’t watch TV at all, who don’t have a computer, but nevertheless have myopia.

When nature created man, he needed to see well into the distance: if you're away
don't you see you will die
from hunger- you can’t shoot a hare or a bird

- I still don’t understand the mechanism.

Nobody in the world fully understands him, and that’s the problem.

- Here I am looking at the computer or watching TV. What is happening to my eye at this moment? Am I stressing him out in some special way?

The eye relaxes when I look into the distance. When I start looking close, I strain my eyes. This is how our body works; in order to see clearly both far and near, you need to have different optical powers in order to see equally clearly. When we start reading, we turn on accommodation, increase the optical power of the eye, so that we can clearly see everything up close. If you constantly use accommodation, without resting and without looking into the distance, then the eye can get used to what is clearly visible only at a close distance.

- Do I understand correctly that biologically a person is not suitable for reading and writing?

When nature created man, he needed to see well into the distance: if you can’t see into the distance, you will die of hunger - you won’t shoot a hare or a bird. And, of course, there were not such a number of myopic people as we have today. The development of writing and computer technology has influenced the emergence of such a large number of myopic people. But, most likely, this is not the only reason: internal factors also determine whether a person will be myopic or not.

About how to work
so as not to lose sight

- There used to be such an expression - “occupational hygiene”. How should a person ideally organize his work so as not to harm his eyes?

Ideally, your workspace should be in a room where you can look out the window and look somewhere far away to relax your eyes. Moreover, it is recommended to take breaks in your work every 20 minutes: change your body position, take your eyes off your notebook or monitor, look somewhere into the distance for at least 20 seconds. This is a very important recommendation. If you are sitting at a computer facing the window, then in sunny weather, curtain the window or make blinds. But this is a more correct position than sitting at the computer with your back to the window: this way the rays hit the monitor and it becomes difficult to view the image. If you cannot change your workplace, then it is recommended to completely curtain the window. If you can’t place your desktop so that it faces the window, you need to place it at least sideways. Another typical mistake is that the monitor cannot be placed on a stand, that is, you cannot look at it from bottom to top, raising your head. It should be slightly lower than eye level.

- That is, the head should be slightly higher than the edge of the monitor?

Yes. It is also important that the distance to the monitor is equal to the distance of an outstretched arm, that is, about 60–70 centimeters. And you also need to keep a bottle of water on the table, be sure to drink water throughout the day, no less than 2–2.5 liters per day. And blink more often. The fact is that the image that appears on the monitor is not reflected, but in the book it is reflected, so it is easier to read from a book than from a screen.

About e-books
and tablets

- What is a reflected image?

Rays of light are reflected from the paper, so the image is reflected. It is easier to read than a pixel image from a monitor, so at the computer we have to strain our eyes more, while we open our eyes wider and blink less often. It has been proven that a person who works behind a monitor screen blinks five times less often than without it. This causes the surface of the eye to dry out, hence the feeling that one cannot see very clearly, the eyes are tired, and a burning sensation appears. Therefore, they recommend drinking more water, blinking and looking into the distance.

- How do you feel about drops against dry eyes?

There are different drops, and you need to understand that not a single drop will help completely solve the problem, because they have a short duration of action. Most drops simply replace liquid. Then evaporation occurs, the drops are removed through the lacrimal ducts, and the process repeats. You need to understand that if you have dry eyes, you need tear replacement or moisturizing drops, not vasoconstrictors, because very often people confuse them, and the effect of dryness and burning is worsened.

If it doesn't work out place the desktop so that it faces the window, you need to put it at least sideways

- What do you think about e-books?

This is practically the same as a monitor, a mobile phone, and a tablet.

- It happens that a tablet tires your eyes more than e-books.

In any case, the image we have on both tablets and e-readers is pixelated. As a result, your eyes may become tired.

- How much time a day can you read from a tablet or e-reader?

In principle, the recommendations should be the same as when using a computer. It is recommended that even adults use a computer no more than six to eight hours a day. But in life, people use computers much more: both at work and at home. But you need to know when to stop and understand that your eyes should rest. You need to be in the fresh air, take breaks from work, and play sports.

About babies with iPads

- What do you think about children who have been using tablets since they were one year old?

There is nothing good about this, because for children there are certain standards for working at the computer. For younger children (primary schoolchildren) this is 10–15 minutes, then half an hour a day. For high school students - no more than 2–3 hours. But the same schools introduce classes on computers almost from the elementary grades; the lesson lasts 45 minutes, and during this time the child is forced to look at the monitor. Then homework is given, for which you also need a computer. And then there are many parents who give their children tablets: children as young as one or two know what a tablet is, because they communicate with their parents via Skype, and cartoons are played for them so that they can sit quietly. What does this mean? Perhaps we will see these results in the growth of myopia. Tablets appeared not so long ago, but perhaps in five years there will be data that the number of children with myopia has increased.

- Did I understand correctly that in Russia the likelihood of a child getting myopia is much greater than in children from Africa or Australia, where there is more daylight?

Yes. If we look at Africa, then, of course, there are myopics there too, despite the fact that these children may have never seen a tablet or a book in their lives. But the reason for such myopia is probably related to other factors, possibly malnutrition, protein deficiency. In Europe, early use of tablets, computers, and monitors is one of the risk factors for the progression of myopia.

When I was prescribed glasses at school, the doctors told my mother that they would not give the child a full correction, because the eye had to strain and work. Therefore, as a child, I wore weaker glasses than I needed. And then I read about a study in which some children were given glasses with full power, while others did not fully correct their myopia. As a result, this study had to be stopped because those who were given partial-correction glasses began to lose their vision.

Yes, such a study was actually conducted. In our country, the theory that complete correction leads to myopia increasing has long prevailed for a long time. At the same time, there were other studies around the world that undercorrection leads to an increase in myopia. If the correction is complete and if the correction is incomplete, myopia will increase in both places, because glasses do not stop the progression of myopia. But the growth rate of myopia (rate of progression) with incomplete correction is higher.

We used to think that until myopia is 3 diopters, no correction no need to prescribe

- So there is nothing good in excess eye strain?

If you have myopia, as you say, - 5, then the further point of clear vision is at a distance of 20 centimeters from your eye. If I move the object to a distance of 25–30 centimeters, you can no longer see it clearly. There is no point in straining your distance vision and using accommodation, because accommodation will increase the minus and you will see even worse. Since the further point is at a distance of 20 centimeters, you will read exactly at a distance of 20 centimeters. A person who has 0 diopters, when reading close, turns on his accommodation, and accommodation gives him an extra 2.5 diopters. A person who is -5 myopic has five extra diopters. (That’s why we have minus lenses, we need to remove these five extra diopters.) You have an excess of these diopters that you need for reading, so at a distance of 20 centimeters you will read perfectly. The closer the distance from which we read, the more the eyes are brought towards the nose (this is called “convergence”). Convergence is related to accommodation, so it turns out that when reading at very close distances, you have to force your eyes to work in extra strong mode. There is nothing good in this, there must be a correction. But we used to think that until myopia was 3 diopters, there was no need to prescribe any correction, the first time was to do eye exercises. But whatever you do, if your myopia is true, it won’t go away.

About gymnastics and laser
vision correction

- I’ve also been told about eye exercises all my life. Is this really a completely ineffective thing? Now there are a bunch of new ones: yogic gymnastics, when you have to look at a candle or other objects, when you have to touch your nose and spread your arms and look at them.

Probably, gymnastics is not bad, because it gives at least some kind of relaxation. If a person has his head buried in a book or a monitor all day and does gymnastics, there’s probably nothing wrong with that. But if we expect that myopia will go away from gymnastics, then this is a false expectation: the eyes will not become smaller in size because we do gymnastics. I don’t know a single person whose true myopia has decreased due to eye exercises.

- Even earlier, Norbekov’s books were popular about the fact that glasses are a conspiracy of ophthalmologists and companies and that anyone can get rid of glasses if they wish.

I don't know a single person who has gotten rid of myopia. If a person had myopia, and then it disappeared, it means that this person either had refractive surgery and got rid of glasses, but the size of his eye remained the same, or he was not initially diagnosed correctly and had, for example, a false myopia that has gone away.

- What is the point of laser correction?

The principle of any laser surgery to correct myopia is to reduce refraction. If you have -5 myopia, then your eye has five extra diopters that need to be removed by making the cornea thinner. We have two lenses in the eye that determine refraction - the cornea and the lens. To change the strength of the lens, it must be replaced. This surgery is performed on older people when they have cataracts. For young people, the lens is not touched; it is used to change the shape and thickness of the cornea. The device technically calculates how much needs to be removed, and using low-temperature laser action, its thickness is reduced, after which the diopters “go away.”

I don't know a single person that would get rid of myopia

About contact lenses

- There are so many contact lenses now, they change so quickly. Please tell us what they are like now.

Firstly, they are soft and hard. A soft lens molds to the shape of the eye, while a hard lens is needed to correct the shape of the cornea, for example, with high degrees of astigmatism. Most people use soft contact lenses, about 90% of those who use contact lenses. According to the material, soft lenses can be hydrogel (very soft) or silicone hydrogel (harder, they lose less moisture). Hydrogel lenses, which have been around since the 60s, allow limited oxygen transmission to the eye, while silicone hydrogel lenses (they appeared only in 1998) allow almost 100% oxygen through. The eye on which the hydrogel lens is worn begins to get tired after some time and lacks oxygen. When there is not enough oxygen, the vessels begin to grow into the cornea and supply it with oxygen. If the vessels have grown in, it means that the cornea is in a state of oxygen starvation. A silicone hydrogel lens does not restrict the flow of oxygen, so such a lens can be worn on the eye as long as needed during the day, and some can even be worn to sleep.

- By what principle do people choose their lenses?

A specialist must select lenses; this is a medical procedure. If a person wears lenses periodically and wears glasses most of the time, hydrogel lenses are quite suitable for him. If you use contact lenses six to seven days a week, put them on at 7 am and take them off at 12 midnight, then you need silicone hydrogel lenses. Again, lenses can be one-day, with replacement after two weeks, with replacement once a month, after three months, with annual use. Why, for example, are daily lenses better? Because they involve far fewer hygiene violations: the longer the lens lasts, the dirtier it will be. What every patient and every doctor should understand: the shorter the replacement period, the better. Our people are structured a little differently. A person comes to an optician and says: “Show me what it costs” - and chooses the cheapest lens with the longest period of use, without realizing how he will feel in this lens and how carefully he needs to care for such lenses.

At least from scratch, if necessary. If this is a child under six years old, then the question is how positively the lens will influence the development of visual functions, how much more effective it will be than glasses. If the lens helps significantly better, then the choice is in favor of a contact lens. If both glasses and contacts give the same effect, then, of course, glasses have smaller risk factors in children. In older children, social indications come first - improving the quality of life, the opportunity to play sports - so contact lenses are very helpful here.

About night wear lenses

- What do you think about night wear lenses that give the cornea the correct shape?

You can change the shape of the cornea with surgery, as I already said, or you can use a hard lens, which will put pressure on this eye at night. This is a specific lens, it has “reverse geometry”. They are used because they do not want to wear glasses and contact lenses. They put on such a lens and their vision is good for a while, but then the myopia returns. They also try to control the progression of myopia with the help of such lenses, which is why they are prescribed to children. But again, you need to understand that such a lens helps some, but not others. There is no clear statement that the use of such contact lenses stops the progression of myopia in everyone.

- How safe are these night lenses?

This technique is not very safe: firstly, the lens is put on at night, which is already potentially dangerous. Secondly, if these lenses are worn by children and teenagers, this is also always a certain risk factor: how they washed their hands, how they processed this lens - all this needs to be monitored, this is not a single-use lens.

About exposing carrots

- Do you believe that if you eat a lot of blueberries and carrots, your eyesight will improve?

No, neither blueberries nor carrots have been proven to help. But we need the components found in blueberries and carrots in order to carry out visual processes. Carrots are one of the sources of vitamin A, but we have other sources of vitamin A as well. But, probably, in general, if we are talking about dietary nutrition, carrots are very healthy, but also within reasonable limits. Vitamin A deficiency is associated with so-called night blindness, when people have problems with peripheral vision, which is responsible for twilight vision.

- Why do your eyes turn red? They say it's from fatigue. This is true? Maybe it's an allergy?

Eyes turn red for a variety of reasons: due to poor quality mascara, from aerosols, from chlorinated water in the pool, from high temperature in the bathhouse, for example, from alcohol, from lack of sleep, from prolonged stress. Allergy is manifested not only by redness; if there is an allergic reaction, there are other signs. The allergy occurs in both eyes. If only one eye turns red, it means that something could have gotten into it, some kind of irritant.

Photos: Zarina Kodzaeva

– a complex disease in children due to its difficult diagnosis. These vision problems in childhood can only be determined by a doctor, but parents must notice the hidden symptoms and sound the alarm in time, then recovery will not take long and you can get rid of this problem forever.

Hypermetropia in children is characterized by a violation of the optical system of the eye, in which the focus of the image does not fall on the visual part of the retina, but is formed behind it. Clinically, refractive errors are manifested by poor near vision with preserved distance acuity, and the baby’s inability to concentrate on an object in his hands.

The image enters the eye through the lens, which refracts light to focus it on the retina, only after which the information is transmitted to parts of the brain. Since objects are at different distances, in order to see them, the lens needs to change its curvature with the help of muscles and accommodation. The ability of the lens to bend is measured in diopters. For near vision, the curvature is maximum, and for distant vision, the biological lens must be completely relaxed.

This disease has one peculiarity; it is associated with the optical structure of the eye. The fact is that complete farsightedness is natural in children under one year old; this is due to underdevelopment of the eyeball, retina, cornea, lens and muscle weakness. This disorder usually persists for up to 5-6 years.

To distinguish physiological hypermetropia from progressive pathology, there is a norm of farsightedness for each period (from newborn to one year, from one to two years, and so on), which should decrease with age; we will tell you more about this in our article, in the “Diagnostics” section. .

Classification and degrees of childhood hypermetropia

There are two types of violations based on their origin:

1. Congenital farsightedness in children is characterized by hereditary factors of abnormal development of the visual apparatus.
2. Acquired - appears as a result of injuries, operations, radiation, visual disturbances, previous diseases and the action of chemicals.

Classification according to the degree (stage) of the disease:

1. both eyes (up to 3 diopters) does not appear in children due to the ability of the eyeball to accommodate. This is hidden (compensatory) farsightedness in children; it is possible to suspect it, but only a doctor can accurately diagnose it. At degree 1, hypermetropia is completely corrected and cured.
2. Moderate hypermetropia (from 3 to 5 diopters) is manifested in children by impaired near vision, but preserved distance vision.
3. High degree hypermetropia (from 5 diopters and more) manifests itself in children as a violation of both types of vision; children see equally poorly at any distance. This is the highest degree, the absence of correction of which will lead to many dangerous complications, including complete loss of vision.

Reasons for the development of hypermetropia

As we have already found out above, in an infant the cause of natural farsightedness is a small eyeball, which, due to underdevelopment, is not yet capable of performing all visual functions.

Other causes of farsightedness in children are pathological. We list the main ones:

• hereditary predisposition;
• impaired fetal development during pregnancy;
• abnormal structure of the eye or any of its components;
• physical damage to the functional structures of the eye (trauma, blows, burns);
• complication of various inflammatory diseases;
• consequences after eye surgery;
• incorrectly selected optics;
• non-compliance with the visual regime of work and rest;
• chronic muscle strain, which leads to muscle dystrophy.

Eliminating these causes will stop progressive farsightedness and restore the child’s vision.

Symptoms of farsightedness

Unfortunately, childhood farsightedness does not clearly manifest itself in the early stages. In order for parents to understand whether there is a risk of developing this disease, it is necessary to pay attention to the following complaints of the baby:

• poor concentration on close objects;
• frequent headaches;
• irritability;
• frequent blinking;
• rapid eye fatigue;
• dizziness;
• poor sleep after visual stress;
• frequent inflammatory eye diseases;
• dryness, redness, lacrimation.

The average degree is usually detected when children reach school age. Increased visual load and concentration at close range contributes to more pronounced symptoms of the above complaints, and near visual acuity is also impaired, everything floats.

A high degree is accompanied by a lack of visual acuity at distance and near. If immediate action is not taken, children may develop complications and be left with the condition forever.

Diagnosis of hypermetropia

Diagnosis of farsightedness in children under 6 years of age is possible only by specialists at an appointment with an ophthalmologist. As we have already said above, before this age this is not a visual deviation, but a physiological state of the growing eye. It is possible to suspect latent farsightedness and attribute it to a vision pathology if the number of diopters that is normal for this age differs from the result obtained after the examination.

Age standards for farsightedness:

• up to one year – 3 diopters;
• from one to two years – 2.5 diopters;
• from two to three – 2 diopters;
• from three to four – 1.5 diopters;
• from four to five – 1 diopter;
• five to six years – 0.5 diopters.

Detection of hidden (compensated) farsightedness is possible only with complete paralysis of accommodation and a relaxed lens. This is achieved by instilling special drops into the eyes, after which the degree of myopia is measured and, if it does not coincide with the norm, this is a signal of the presence of a deviation.

Visit an ophthalmologist at least once a year; a routine examination will help you notice any problems in time.

You can learn about comprehensive vision diagnostics in children from the following video:

How is farsightedness treated in children?

Treatment of farsightedness in children can be conservative or radical. Treatment methods directly depend on the age at which they can be used:

1. Children up to one year of age are only observed; no medical procedures are performed.
2. From 1 to 3 – massage, physiotherapy, and hardware techniques are allowed.
3. From 4 to 6 – optical correction with lenses or glasses is added.
4. From 7 to 10 – the complex of the previous points is expanded with eye gymnastics.
5. Laser correction and microsurgery are used only upon reaching adulthood.

Optical correction

One of the types of correction of farsightedness in children are lenses. This is the simplest available method, the use of which at an early stage will help to rebuild the optics of the eye, and over time, completely remove the glasses.

You can learn more about how to cure farsightedness in children and at what age you can wear glasses from the following video:

When choosing a frame, try to give preference to plastic or carbon fiber, as this is a lightweight but durable material. Glass is better than plastic, since children are very active, glass can be dangerous. Don't forget that your child is still growing and developing; his face is no exception; the nasal bones can become deformed under a heavy, uncomfortable frame. You can learn how to choose the right glasses for your child from the following video:

Corrective glasses and lenses should be prescribed by a doctor, depending on the degree and nature of your baby’s farsightedness. Offer your child corrective optics as a form of self-expression; they will definitely like colored lenses and will not bring negative emotions from wearing them. You will learn more about colored lenses and whether children can wear them in the following video:

Hardware treatment

Hardware treatment of farsightedness is used in children from a very early age. Laser and electrical stimulation, color pulse therapy, and massage are used. All these methods stimulate blood circulation, improve nutrition of eye tissue, relax overstrained muscles, which has a beneficial effect on the treatment of farsightedness in children.

Special exercises, gymnastics for the eyes

Farsightedness in children responds well to treatment with eye exercises; they stimulate the functioning of the entire optical system. By performing eye exercises in the form of a game, you will interest the child and achieve noticeable results. A detailed description of the exercises in a game form is presented in this video:

Prognosis and complications of the disease

Ignoring and lack of correction of hypermetropia leads to complications:

• development of amblyopia;
• glaucoma;
• strabismus;
• myopia;
• up to loss of vision.

Prevention of childhood farsightedness

Scheduled visits to the doctor at least once a year. To prevent farsightedness, it is necessary to monitor the lighting when writing, reading, and the amount of visual load. Spend more time playing active games in the fresh air, get a balanced diet with an emphasis on vitamins and minerals. Do eye exercises regularly.

A video with Dr. Komarovsky will tell you how to determine whether children have problems with vision and even hearing:

Approach the issue of farsightedness in children with responsibility and enthusiasm, and everything will work out for you, be healthy!

Share your ways of dealing with this scourge in the comments with other subscribers. Don’t forget to bookmark this article so you can do eye exercises every day in a playful way with us! All the best! , you will find the answer in the link.

Depending on the age of the child, farsightedness may not be a defect, but a norm. But if vision clarity is not restored, then correction and medical help are needed.

When is farsightedness normal?

With farsightedness, the image is formed behind the retina, because of this the child receives a blurry picture of an object that is located at a distance of 20-40 cm from him.

Most often, vision problems can be noticed at the age of 5-7 years, when the child begins to learn.

There are three degrees of farsightedness:

• G mild hypermetropia in both eyes . This visual defect is considered normal. The child sees well at close range, but his eyes quickly get tired and his head starts to hurt. The patient does not need correction. As the child develops, the structure of the eyes changes, the muscles become stronger and the above symptoms disappear. If the degree is mild in children, no treatment is required, but if the pathology does not disappear by age 7, then you need to go to the hospital.
• G moderate hypermetropia . For children over 8 years old it is considered a pathology, at a younger age it is the norm. The defect requires correction, since the deviations are 2-5 diopters. The child sees well in the distance, but near the image is blurred.
• G high degree of hypermetropia . The pathology is manifested by the fact that the child has poor vision in the distance and near. The deviation is over 5 diopters. The child must wear glasses or contact lenses at all times.

Farsightedness is inherent in all newborns. By the age of 3-4, it usually goes away on its own, but if the pathology is diagnosed in an infant, then it is advisable to show the child to a doctor at 2 years of age.

Normally, farsightedness should not exceed 3 diopters, but if, during a comprehensive examination, farsightedness in children 1 year of age is above 5 diopters, treatment must be started, since after six years the child will have serious vision problems.

Causes

Children's farsightedness can occur for the following reasons:

• Violation of the anatomical structure of the eye, for example, deepening of the lens, its irregular shape, short ocular axis or insufficient curvature of the cornea. This type of pathology is called congenital farsightedness.
• Hereditary predisposition.
• Increased intraocular pressure (glaucoma).
• Poor nutrition of a pregnant woman, bad habits of the mother during pregnancy.

At one year of age, an ophthalmologist must examine the child’s eyes using special instruments.

Congenital farsightedness in children can go away 3 months after birth, since the eye organs of a child up to one year old are rapidly developing. But if the pathology remains, then constant medical monitoring is needed. Usually we are talking about high degree hypermetropia.

Farsightedness in children under one year of age is also called physiological. It is normal and is caused by a shortened size of the eyeball. This feature of the eye structure is inherent in all newborns under the age of 2 months. The pathology goes away on its own and does not require treatment.

Symptoms

Symptoms depend on the degree of farsightedness; the higher it is, the more severe the symptoms:

• With a weak degree, headaches, dizziness occur, and the eyes quickly get tired.
• In moderate cases, the child is capricious, sleeps poorly, and is bothered by inflammatory eye diseases such as blepharitis or conjunctivitis. Visual acuity at close range is reduced, although at a long distance he sees everything clearly.
• With a high degree, visual acuity is lost near and far.

Children cannot concentrate on one job for a long time, they are irritable, and become withdrawn due to vision problems. Sometimes they feel a burning sensation and a feeling of sand in their eyes.

Inflammatory diseases of the mucous membrane appear due to the fact that the child constantly rubs his eyes due to fatigue; he can cause an infection.

Which doctor treats farsightedness?

An ophthalmologist treats farsightedness in children. If your children's hospital does not have such a specialist, you can contact your pediatrician.

Diagnostics

Farsightedness can be determined by observing children. If there is pathology, they always look at pictures in books at an extended distance. Children read slowly, in addition, they do not like to do it, but they enjoy looking at the posters on the walls.

An examination by an ophthalmologist involves the use of a special table, from which the doctor determines visual acuity, the curvature of the cornea and its size. At this stage, it is possible to identify presbyopia, a pathology in which the child cannot see small print or objects at close range.

Diagnostics should be performed once a year.

Other examination methods:

• visometry - a procedure for determining visual acuity using Sivtsev or Golovin tables;
• autorefractometry is a computer diagnostic method for determining the refraction of the eye;
• Skiascopy is a method for determining the refraction of the eye.

Less commonly prescribed is accommodation or binocular vision.

Treatment

Is it possible to cure farsightedness in a child? Yes, if you consult a doctor in time. At an early age of up to 4 years, it is difficult to notice pathology, since the child cannot describe his feelings. But already at 5-6 years old one can suspect problems with vision.

During preschool and school periods, loads increase, so pathology develops rapidly. If you miss this moment, only correction will help.

Treatment of infants

Even if a baby has farsightedness of 2.5-3 diopters, the baby does not need treatment. All treatment procedures are possible once he reaches one year of age.

Treatment at 1-3 years

Farsightedness in children 3 years old goes away on its own closer to 4-6 years, but if no improvement is observed, then you need to move on to treatment. Otherwise, by the age of 10, the child’s visual acuity will significantly decrease and he will have to constantly wear glasses or contacts.

Cardinal methods are not used. If the degree of farsightedness at 1-3 years is high, then hardware techniques are used. These include:

• vacuum massage;
• magnetic therapy;
• ultrasound;
• electrical stimulation;
• laser therapy.

Other procedures can be used to improve metabolic processes.

Hardware techniques are absolutely painless. They are held in a playful way, so children can easily tolerate them. Hardware treatment can be performed no more than 3-5 times a year.

Glasses are not prescribed at this age. Not only will they not bring results, but they can cause harm.

To restore visual acuity without medical procedures, you need to provide your child with vitamins. Be sure to include fresh fruits (bananas, peaches, apricots, prunes), vegetables (carrots, tomatoes, cabbage, peas), blueberries, rose hips, dried fruits and walnuts in your diet. The child needs vitamins A and C, as well as potassium.

It is useful to give your baby medications in the form of dietary supplements. They improve metabolism and accelerate the development of the eye organs, which reduces pathology.

Therapeutic methods for children aged 4-6 years

Treatment of farsightedness in children of this age group necessarily begins with vision correction. A child, even with a mild degree of hypermetropia, needs to wear plus glasses, about +1D. They should only be worn while reading, playing on the computer or watching TV. You shouldn't wear glasses all the time.

Lenses can only be worn during adolescence.

Together with correction, hardware treatment and exercise therapy for the eyes are used. How to treat farsightedness in children with exercise?

Gymnastics for the eyes looks like this:

• You need to take a sitting position. First look forward, then turn your head to the right and return to the starting position. At the same time, move your gaze following the movements of your head. Similarly, you need to turn your head to the left. Repeat 5-10 times in each direction.
• In a sitting position, you need to extend your arm at a distance of 30 cm from your eyes and put out your index finger. First you need to look at it for 30 seconds, and then focus your gaze on a distant object for 20-30 seconds. Repeat this up to 10 times.
• You need to take a sitting position, put your right hand at eye level, your palm should be at a distance of 50 cm from your face. Then make circular movements with your fingers clockwise, then you need to change your hand and rotate your fingers clockwise. Should be repeated 7 times.

It is useful to alternate between reading and drawing, using each eye alternately. Read more about vision correction in children →

Treatment at 7-10 years

Farsightedness in children over 6 years of age is manifested by the fact that the weak (far-sighted) eye initially strains to see normally, but this only leads to spasms of the eye muscle due to prolonged overstrain. From the age of seven, the attending physician prescribes glasses with collective lenses. They also use hardware techniques, vitamin therapy and exercise therapy.

Laser surgery is used only after the child reaches 16 years of age.

In rare cases, when the degree of hypermetropia is high and strabismus and other complications develop, microsurgery is indicated. During the operation, the lens is removed and an artificial one is placed in its place. After surgery, the child sees well at any distance. Read more about eye surgery →

Prevention

Prevention measures are important not only for those who were diagnosed with farsightedness before the age of 3, but also for absolutely healthy children.

Prevention:

• To avoid complications, show your child to an ophthalmologist at least once a year.
• Provide your baby with the right lifestyle. Active play in the fresh air and a balanced diet are important for the child. A growing body must receive a daily dose of vitamins for vision every day.
• Teach your child to practice daily eye hygiene.
• Prohibit prolonged viewing of TV and playing on the computer. Limit these hobbies in time, to a maximum of 1-2 hours a day.
• Make sure your child does not sit for long periods of time during lessons. Reading and writing should alternate with active games.
• Provide good lighting: the light should fall on the desk from the left side.
• Do eye exercises with your child.

It is easier to prevent a disease than to get rid of it.

Farsightedness in children is not a harmless disease. If a child is born with a high degree of abnormalities and vision does not return to normal during the first years of life, then an urgent need to contact an ophthalmologist. The child may develop strabismus or lazy eye syndrome, which is characterized by significant loss of vision in one eye.

Useful video about farsightedness in children

A person’s ability to clearly perceive surrounding objects makes it possible to fully understand the world. While adults can recognize the presence of visual impairments, children in most cases cannot.

Ophthalmological diseases are common today and begin from the birth of the baby. One of the most common vision diseases in children is farsightedness (hyperopia). Let's talk about the concept, causes and classification of the disease, and also consider ways to correct it.

Concept of pathology

Farsightedness is a visual defect characterized by an impairment of the baby’s ability to clearly recognize nearby objects. At the same time, objects located at a considerable distance are perceived by the child 100%.

Farsightedness is characterized by the focusing of light rays behind the retina. This is due to the discrepancy between the size of the eyeball and the diameter of the cornea. As a result, nearby objects do not fall on the boundaries of the retina, and the contours of the object appear blurred.

Pathology is observed in more than 85% of patients from birth. Approaching the age of four, hypermetropia in children should gradually decrease due to the development of the child’s visual system. By school age, the anomaly completely disappears. If this does not happen, this is a reason to contact an ophthalmologist and begin treatment for the pathology.

Causes of farsightedness

The development of childhood pathology, expressed in the inability to perceive objects located nearby, has several predisposing factors:

• Heredity;
• Taking potent medications during the mother's pregnancy;
• Unfavorable environmental conditions during gestation;
• Excessive visual stress;
• Poor nutrition;
• The baby is in a stressful state;
• Anatomical structure of the eye;
• Injuries;
• Increased intraocular pressure.

Types of disease

Farsightedness is observed in more than 80% of newborns and 35% of schoolchildren. There are three types of hypermetropia in children.

Weak degree

It is characterized by increased fatigue of the visual apparatus over a short period of time and migraine. However, these indicators are not considered deviations from the norm, since the child clearly perceives nearby objects. With the development of the visual apparatus, the muscles of the eye become stronger and the symptoms disappear by the time the child enters first grade.

Average degree

Deviations range from 2 to 5 diopters and are observed in 50% of newborns. For preschool children, the indicators are considered the norm, since the visual apparatus during this period is at the stage of formation.

Moderate hypermetropia is characterized by a clear distinction between distantly located objects. The perception of nearby objects is blurred. In addition, the baby may complain of pain in the eyebrow area.

High degree of hypermetropia

Involves unclear perception of objects at different distances. Sharpness indicators exceed 5 diopters. The anomaly necessarily requires treatment.
Considering the period of formation, farsightedness in children is distinguished into:

• Congenital;
• Children's physiological;
• Age.

Consequences of inaction

Hypermetropia can lead to the development of strabismus or amblyopia (lazy eye syndrome) if the pathology is not treated in a timely manner.

The first complication may result from non-synchronous focusing of vision on a recognized object. As a result of erratic tension, the baby may lose three-dimensional vision of objects.

The progression of amblyopia means that having farsightedness in one eye, the child will strain only the healthy eye. As a result, the brain will stop receiving signals from the diseased eye and, as a result, will lose its functions.

Side complications caused by refusal to treat farsightedness can include eye infections:

Symptoms of the disease

Considering that children are not always able to express in words what worries them, parents should pay attention to changes in the child’s behavior and well-being. The presence of hypermetropia is indicated by headaches, dizziness, and excessive fatigue of the visual apparatus.

Symptoms of ophthalmological diseases can include a child's moody state, poor sleep, constant rubbing of the eyes, as well as inflammatory eye infections (for example, conjunctivitis). Due to visual fatigue and pain, the baby is unable to concentrate on one object for a long time.

Children aged 6 years and older have obvious signs of developing farsightedness. A symptom of the pathology is the constant removal of printed publications, pictures and objects from oneself, complaints of sand and pain in the eyes.

How to understand that a child has an anomaly?

Only a doctor can reliably diagnose the presence and degree of hyperopia after completing an ophthalmological examination.

The baby undergoes the first preventive examination of the visual apparatus immediately after birth. Further scheduled visits to the doctor at 6 and 12 months. After the baby’s first anniversary, parents should take the child to an ophthalmologist annually for a preventive examination.

If farsightedness is suspected, the doctor checks visual acuity using special children's tables depicting pictures or letters. Alternately closing the eyes, the baby is pointed to objects of various sizes, ranging from small ones. The line with which the child clearly recognizes the image is used to judge visual acuity.

Parents can print out Sivtsev’s or Golovin’s chart and monitor their baby’s vision at home.

One of the methods for diagnosing farsightedness is examining the fundus to identify the initial stage of hyperopia. Skiascopy allows you to reliably determine the degree of development of pathology and its magnitude, and refractometry measures the refractive power of the ocular system.

In some cases, an ultrasound of the visual organs is prescribed to determine the physiological abnormality. The procedure allows you to accurately determine the size of the eye and identify a number of intraocular pathologies.
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How to treat the disease?

Therapy to restore vision involves conservative and surgical methods. The doctor can prescribe glasses or contact lenses, prescribe a set of exercises or hardware treatment, prescribe medications, a vitamin-mineral complex and eye drops.

Surgical treatment of hypermetropia is possible only from the age of sixteen, when the visual system is fully formed. The operation involves replacing the eye lens with an artificial one.

The child's age is also taken into account when determining how to treat hypermetropia. Therapy to restore vision begins when the baby reaches one year of age, since farsightedness in children under 1 year of age is not considered a pathology.

Treatment of three-year-old children

Normal development of the visual apparatus implies the complete elimination of farsightedness by 4 years. If no positive dynamics are observed, then hypermetropia is corrected by selecting glasses or contact lenses.

With a high degree of farsightedness, hardware treatment methods are predominantly used.

Therapy for children 4-6 years old

Treatment begins with the selection of glasses that the child wears when watching television, reading books, or doing activities that require high concentration. In parallel, the ophthalmologist may prescribe hardware treatment and a gymnastic visual complex.

Correction of pathology for primary school children

Farsightedness from the moment of school leads to overstrain of the visual system and spasms of the muscles of the affected eye. To restore the ability to clearly perceive objects, the ophthalmologist prescribes glasses. At the same time, a course of vitamins and visual gymnastics are prescribed.

Hardware treatment of farsightedness

Based on the principle of the brain subconsciously shortening periods of non-contrast vision. As a result, stimulation of the visual function of the cerebral cortex activates nerve cells.

Hardware treatment methods include:

• Massage;
• Ultrasound;
• Magnetotherapy;
• Electrical stimulation.

Therapy is carried out in courses no more than 4-6 times a year, the frequency and complex are prescribed by the doctor, taking into account the degree of development of the pathology and the structure of the eyeball.

Color pulse therapy is one of the methods of hardware treatment for the correction of hypermetropia. Its essence lies in the effect of electromagnetic radiation through the eye on the central nervous system.

Currently, scientists are developing improved treatment using non-surgical techniques. The advantage of this therapy is that it can be carried out with a child in the form of an exciting game. The treatment has virtually no contraindications and a recovery period, with the exception of taking medications that accelerate the healing and nutrition of the visual system.

Movement is life

Children with hyperopia, depending on the degree of its development, should pay special attention to an active lifestyle. If the disease is at a weak stage, it is necessary to engage in sports associated with a change in the focus of vision.

The ideal option would be tennis, volleyball, basketball, badminton. Classes are aimed at intensive blood circulation in the visual system and the development of the accommodative apparatus.

If a child has a moderate to high degree of abnormality in the ability to clearly perceive objects, then physical exercises should be corrected by an ophthalmologist. Particular attention must be paid to athletics exercises, as they can harm the visual system and aggravate the situation.

If there is a high degree of farsightedness, a child should not engage in weightlifting, football and other traumatic sports, as they can lead to complete loss of vision.

For farsightedness of any degree, walking in the fresh air and concentrating your gaze on nearby objects will have a positive effect. This strengthens the eye muscles and prevents the progression of the disease.

Charging for vision

Gymnastics for the eyes has become widespread as therapeutic and preventive measures for vision correction.

Systematic implementation of a small complex aimed at relaxing the eye muscles will improve blood circulation and prevent the progression of the disease.

Exercises to relax the visual system:

1. Closing your eyes, you need to relax your eyelids as much as possible. Lightly pressing your warmed hands to your eyes, you should spend 1-2 minutes in this position and move your closed eyes to the sides.
2. Concentration of gaze on objects located at different distances.
3. Draw a few letters of the alphabet figuratively, using the tip of your nose as a pen.
4. Frequent blinking.
5. Turning the head with moving the gaze.

Check out the short routine in the video below.

The ophthalmologist prescribes an individual course of gymnastic exercises, taking into account the structural features of the child’s eye, as well as the degree of progression of the disease.

Using corrective glasses

When treating hyperopia, corrective glasses should be used if other methods have not given a positive result. It is important to remember that glasses are prescribed 1 diopter less than vision indicators.

With low degree of farsightedness, correcting a child’s vision with glasses can aggravate the situation, so their selection should only be done by a professional ophthalmologist.

If high-grade hypermetropia is present or diagnosed in a child over the age of 7 years, therapy to restore vision using glasses is mandatory.

Parents should ensure that their child is comfortable wearing the frame and does not have a headache or watery eyes. If the discomfort does not go away within two weeks, you should contact the ophthalmologist again.

Unlike adults, children wear glasses all the time, so it is very important to pay special attention to their selection.

Measures to prevent the progression of the disease

Preventive measures aimed at preventing the occurrence and development of anomalies must be observed both by children diagnosed with farsightedness and by absolutely healthy children.

1. Parents should not neglect visiting an ophthalmologist. Take your child for a checkup every year.
2. Provide your baby with a healthy lifestyle, nutritious food enriched with vitamins, a sleep schedule, and walks in the fresh air.
3. Do not allow your child to spend a lot of time in front of TV or computer games, and also alternate the load on the baby’s visual system.
4. Take care of proper good lighting while reading, drawing, modeling and other activities that strain your eyes, and perform gymnastic exercises.

Conclusion

Monitor your baby's health from birth. Farsightedness detected at an early stage can be corrected using modern techniques and medications. The quality and visual acuity of children and their ability to fully perceive and understand the world around them depend only on parents.

Farsightedness or hypermetropia is a type of refractive error. This pathology is characterized by the fact that light rays passing through the transparent media of the eye are focused not on the retina, as should happen in a healthy eye, but in a plane conventionally located behind it. The consequence of such a disorder may be a significant deterioration in the ability to clearly distinguish objects that are close to the eyes.

Farsightedness can affect both adults and children of all ages. Childhood hypermetropia has its own characteristics of clinical course and application of therapeutic techniques.

Clinical picture of farsightedness in a child

The ophthalmological term “hypermetropia” comes from the Greek words: hyper - “over”, metron - “measure” and ops - “eye”. Based on this, we can say that such an anomaly represents a certain discrepancy in the size of the organic structures of the eye with each other, which, naturally, entails the formation of a number of persistent functional disorders.

They can be of varying degrees of severity, and also be physiological in nature.

Weak degree

A weak degree of farsightedness in childhood may not have pronounced symptoms that would significantly affect the development of the child, since due to the strain of accommodation, a sufficient level of visual acuity is maintained both near and far.

With moderate hypermetropia, the child practically without much effort distinguishes objects located at a sufficiently large distance from him, but at the same time he may have difficulty looking at close objects. Rapid eye fatigue, headaches may occur (a characteristic sign of hypermetropia is pain in the area of ​​the brow ridges), the image may become cloudy and unclear.

Experiencing such discomfort, the child unconsciously tries to move away from the object or move it away from him in order to see it better.

High degree

A high degree of hyperopia clinically has more pronounced manifestations. Here visual acuity decreases both near and far. All of the above signs are a sufficient reason for concern and immediate seeking help from an ophthalmologist.

If in time for a child with a high degree of congenital hypermetropia If appropriate treatment is not prescribed, he will most likely develop strabismus. This occurs due to the fact that the baby is forced to constantly strain the extraocular muscles, bringing the eyes to the nose in order to achieve a clearer vision of nearby objects.

If this pathology is left without proper attention, then there is a high probability of developing amblyopia or “lazy eye”. This functional disorder of the visual system is practically impossible to correct and requires long-term treatment, so ophthalmologists strongly recommend that parents do not delay seeking qualified help.

In addition to functional defects, farsightedness in a child often provokes the development of ophthalmological diseases of an inflammatory nature, such as:

• blepharitis(inflammation of the eyelids);
• conjunctivitis(inflammation of the conjunctiva - the mucous membrane of the eye);
• barley(inflammation of the hair follicle in the thickness of the eyelid);
• chalazion(compaction in the thickness of the eyelid associated with a pathological enlargement of the meibomian gland).

This is explained by the fact that children, experiencing visual fatigue and burning in their eyes, often rub them with their hands, often introducing an infection there. Statistics show that almost 90% of children under the age of 4 years have some degree of hypermetropia. This type of refractive error at this age is of a natural physiological nature.

Among children of primary school age and adolescents from 12 to 14 years old, the incidence of farsightedness reaches 30%.

In a healthy eye, light rays should converge into a beam strictly on the surface of the retina. Only if this condition is met, the image that the visual analyzer transforms will not be distorted.

With farsightedness, the trajectory of light rays is such that they can conditionally “converge” only behind the surface of the retina, so the child sees nearby objects without being blurry. If any violation of the refractive properties of the eye is compensated by the strain of accommodation, then we are talking about hidden hypermetropia. If the visual defect cannot be corrected, then this type of hypermetropia is called obvious.

Depending on the age limits for the formation of hypermetropia, there are several of its main forms:

• children's physiological;
• congenital;
• age (presbyopia).

There are also three types of hypermetropia according to the degree of correction required (size of corrective lenses):

• weak degree – below +2 D;
• average degree – below +5 D;
• high degree – above +5 D.

Development mechanism

Refraction is the ability of the optical apparatus of the eye, which consists of several organic elements, to refract light rays. The degree of refraction of rays depends on several factors:

• the level of curvature of the lens or its ability to change its spatial position, while changing the direction of light rays passing through the transparent media of the eye;
• the shape of the cornea, since it is also a refractive medium and affects the trajectory of light rays;
• the distance between the surface of the cornea and the lens;
• the anterior-posterior size of the eyeball, which is the distance from the cornea of ​​the eye to the so-called macula (area of ​​best vision), located on the surface of the retina.

Thus, we can conclude that the refractive power of the eye and the anterior-posterior size of the eyeball have a decisive influence on the refraction of the eye. The optical apparatus of the human eye has a rather complex structure; it includes the lens, cornea, chamber humor, and vitreous body.

When directed to the retina, the light beam passes through a number of organic structures of the eye that have the refractive properties that were listed above.

There is the concept of “physiological farsightedness of newborns,” which can reach from +2D to +4D. It is caused by insufficient anteroposterior size of the eyeball. The presence of +4D hypermetropia in an infant indicates physiological maturity.

An increase in the degree of hypermetropia may be a sign of microphthalmos or accompany other congenital defects of the visual apparatus, for example:

1. cataract(cataract);
2. colobomas(absence of part of any membrane of the eye);
3. aniridia(absence of the iris);
4. lenticonus(violation of the shape of the lens, in which it takes on a spherical or conical shape).

As the child grows up, the size of the eyeball and the proportions of the organic structures of the eye change to normal levels. That's why, most often, hypermetropia transforms into emmetropia by the age of 12-13(normal refraction).

If for some reason the child’s eyeball is delayed in growth, not corresponding to its age norm, then hypermetropia is formed; if, on the contrary, it progresses excessively in its development, then myopia (myopia) is formed. The reasons that provoke retarded growth of the eyeball have not yet been fully studied.

However, most people suffering from hypermetropia manage to compensate for the reduced functional activity of the ciliary muscle of the eye, which is responsible for the position of the lens in space, by about 40 years of age.

Farsightedness can also be a consequence of aphakia, a congenital or acquired pathological condition of the eye, which is characterized by the complete absence of the lens. Typically, this phenomenon occurs as a result of surgery to remove a lens damaged by cataracts. Aphakia can also be associated with various types of mechanical injuries to the eye or dislocation of the lens.

With aphakia, the refractive power of the eye decreases quite significantly, so vision can drop to the most extreme levels (about 0.1 with a norm of 1).

Diagnosis and treatment

Farsightedness in children can be detected during an examination by an ophthalmologist. First, visual acuity is determined using visometry. This type of study for children suffering from farsightedness is carried out using trial plus lenses. The ophthalmologist also prescribes a study of the refraction of the child’s eye; it can be done in two ways: using skiascopy or refractometry.

Skiascopy is an objective method for determining the refraction of the eye. This type of diagnosis is carried out using a special device - a skiascope, which is a mirror with a handle, with a flat and convex surface on both sides. Accurate diagnostic data can only be obtained in the presence of cycloplegia(drug-induced paralysis of accommodation, achieved by implanting drugs into the eye that block the activity of the parasympathetic nerves). Skiascopy is suitable for studying refraction in young children, for whom refractometry is quite problematic.

Treatment of hypermetropia can be either conservative (spectacle or contact correction, hardware treatment, visual gymnastics, drug therapy, including vitamin therapy and a course of medicinal eye drops) or surgical.

If the child has no serious complaints, the nature of vision is not impaired, and its visual acuity reaches 0.9-1, then in this case correction is not indicated, and an ophthalmologist may recommend doing eye exercises with your baby from time to time at home in order to prevent the development of refractive errors. In addition to spectacle and contact correction, hardware treatment and physiotherapy have a good therapeutic effect.

During the course of hardware treatment, the child may be prescribed vitamin therapy, which has a general strengthening effect on the entire visual apparatus, as well as other medications that have a positive effect on the development of the refractive abilities of the visual apparatus.

Komarovsky, a well-known pediatrician in Russia and abroad, has repeatedly touched upon the topic of childhood farsightedness in his discussions.

The key to successful treatment of childhood farsightedness is timely seeking qualified help from a specialist.

If you complete all the appointments and follow the rules for correcting this refractive error, Vision can be restored by adolescence to healthy levels.

Find out what doctors think about the treatment of farsightedness in children from the following video.

Sports for farsightedness

Children, those suffering from mild hypermetropia are recommended playing sports, which are characterized by periodic changes in the focus of the gaze on distant and near objects, for example, football, basketball, tennis and the like. Thanks to regular exercise in these sports, it is possible not only to improve the accommodative abilities of the eye, but also to stimulate intense blood circulation throughout the visual system and oculomotor system, as well as prevent the further formation of pathological changes in the eyeball.

To achieve the maximum therapeutic effect from sports, it is necessary that one workout lasts at least 30 minutes.

For parents whose children have been diagnosed moderate hypermetropia, it is necessary to keep in mind that physical education classes for a child must have some restrictions, especially for athletics exercises. It is better if the basic school physical education course is supplemented with special exercises that strengthen the muscular system of the eye. One way or another, this issue should be discussed in detail with an ophthalmologist, and based on his recommendations, the child’s physical education program should be adjusted.

For children with high degrees of hypermetropia There are a number of restrictions regarding the ability to engage in certain sports. For example, they are highly discouraged from playing football, engaging in any martial arts or weightlifting, or skiing. This is due to the fact that With regular exercise of this kind, the risk of complete loss of vision is very high, therefore, children suffering from this disease should find other hobbies for themselves.

In extremely severe forms of farsightedness, the ophthalmologist may impose a ban on any sports activities.

Children with farsightedness, Regular walks in the fresh air are beneficial. Along the way, you can ask the child to look at various objects located at different distances from him. These simple steps, if performed regularly, will help strengthen the eye muscles and improve visual acuity.

Eye exercises for hypermetropia

Eye exercises show an excellent therapeutic effect for all types of refractive errors in children.

It is especially useful to regularly perform visual gymnastics exercises for children whose eyes are regularly exposed to excessive stress (long-term work at the computer, reading, incorrect position at a desk at school, etc.).

Correct and systematic implementation of such exercises helps to improve blood circulation in the cervical spine and in the oculomotor muscular system, as well as train the accommodative capabilities of the eye.

These exercises will help relieve visual fatigue and prevent further development of visual abnormality, thereby helping to at least partially cure the disease.

• The exercise is performed with eyes closed. The child should try to relax the eyelids as much as possible. Place your palms on your baby's eyes or, if he is old enough, ask him to cover his eyes with his hands, but do not press them too hard against his eyes. He should spend 2-3 minutes in this position. This provides rest and relaxation for the eyes. Next, ask the child to move his eyes in different directions without raising his eyelids.
• The child should try to imagine that there is a pencil attached to his nose, with which he needs to write his name or draw something in the air.
• Invite your baby to stand up, stretch out his arms in front of him, spread his fingers as wide as possible and try to look at the objects that are in these gaps. After a few minutes, let him try to move his gaze to his fingers and examine them. The exercise should be repeated at least 7 times.

The treating ophthalmologist can create an individual course of eye exercises, taking into account the child’s age and the characteristics of his visual impairment. One way or another, the decisive role here is played by the systematic training and correctness of the exercises.

Farsightedness in children is a refractive error characterized by abnormal focusing of rays behind the retina rather than on it, which leads to blurred images of nearby objects. According to statistical data, farsightedness occurs in 85% of cases in children under the age of three, and up to 35% in children under the age of twelve. At this age, refraction is determined by the physiological characteristics of the child’s body.

Most children are born farsighted because at that age their eyeball has not yet developed. Hypermetropia in infancy can range from +3 to +3.5 diopters and is the age norm. As the organs of vision grow and develop, optical power changes: the growth of the eyeball leads to a shift in optical focus to the retina, so hypermetropia decreases. Its correction and treatment are required if it does not go away by the age of ten to twelve. If appropriate measures are not taken, disorders such as amblyopia and strabismus may develop.

Why does hypermetropia occur?

Farsightedness occurs due to a difference in the strength of the refractive apparatus and the size of the eye, which, in turn, can be caused by weakness of the apparatus or an abnormally short anteroposterior axis of the eyeball. Both factors lead to the formation of a focus behind the retina. The following causes of hypermetropia in children are distinguished:

• Anatomical congenital features of the structure of the eyes, which cause the lens to be too deep, the axis of the eye not long enough, or a defect in the curvature of the ocular cornea;
• A hereditary predisposition that is passed on from parents if mom, dad, or both of them suffer from farsightedness;
• Increased intraocular pressure – glaucoma;
• Any factors that can negatively affect the fetus and the formation of its visual system during gestation.

Classification of eye hypermetropia in a child

Classifications of this disease are carried out in accordance with various factors, which, along with the types, types and forms of farsightedness, are presented in our table.

Types, degrees, forms	Their features
Types by development mechanism
Refractive	Pathology develops as a result of diseases of the cornea and eye lens.
Axial	The disease develops due to the anatomical features of the eye structure.
Forms in accordance with the severity of clinical manifestations
Hidden	Refractive errors are corrected due to increased accommodation of the ciliary muscles, due to which the focus formation occurs correctly, which ensures the desired visual acuity.
Explicit	Accommodation is reduced, which manifests itself in difficulties with visual acuity at close distances.
Full	There are disturbances of accommodation and refraction.
Degrees of hypermetropia in children according to deviation from the norm
Weak	A decrease in vision to two diopters in this case is considered normal and does not require treatment. If it persists at the age of six or seven years, correction may be required.
Average	A decrease in vision to five diopters in children over the age of eight is a deviation from the norm and requires correction.
Heavy	A decrease in vision of more than five diopters requires systematic correction, since it is manifested by a lack of clarity: both near and far.

Symptoms of farsightedness in children

Clinical manifestations of the disease in children directly depend on the degree of the disease. It is important that parents are attentive and pay attention to any oddities in the baby’s behavior.

Diagnosis of hypermetropia in children

Before starting treatment of farsightedness in children, specialists conduct comprehensive diagnostic studies that allow them to accurately determine the disease, its form, degree, and characteristics. The Sfera clinic has all the necessary equipment to conduct a comprehensive examination of a small patient. We do:

• Visometry, which involves the use of a standard table to determine visual acuity;
• Skiascopy, through which you can evaluate the refractive characteristics of the eye;
• Scanning the eye using ultrasound;
• Refractometry, which allows you to determine the condition of the eye lens and cornea.

How is farsightedness treated in children?

In the vast majority of cases, hypermetropia in children goes away by the age of 10. If the child does not show any improvement before the age of six, treatment is necessary.

Treatment of hypermetropia in children aged one to three years is carried out using hardware techniques, which include the following:

• Vacuum massage;
• Laser and magnetic therapy;
• Ultrasound treatment;
• Electrical stimulation.

All procedures are comfortable and require regular treatment, from three to five times a year. Vision correction with glasses is not prescribed at this time, as it can cause harm.

They resort to it at the age of 7 to 10 years, continuing to use hardware techniques and taking vitamin complexes.

The most effective treatment for hypermetropia is laser correction. However, its implementation is possible only at the age of 18 years, when the formation of the visual apparatus is completed.

Preventive measures for farsightedness

It is important for parents to understand that farsightedness is a serious pathology that requires professional correction and treatment. If a child is born with a severe degree of this disease, it is necessary to ensure that he is monitored by an experienced specialist.

Preventive measures for hypermetropia consist of following simple rules:

• Regular scheduled examinations with a doctor;
• Active lifestyle, daily walks in the fresh air;
• Proper nutrition providing the body with all the necessary vitamins and microelements;
• Control over the time the child spends at the computer, near the TV or playing games on mobile gadgets;
• Proper organization of the workplace;
• Ensuring high-quality lighting while doing homework;
• Performing gymnastics for the eyes.

Where can hypermetropia be diagnosed and treated?

If you want to be sure that your baby will be in good hands and will receive all the necessary treatment, contact the Sfera clinic. We employ leading domestic specialists, who have everything necessary for accurate diagnosis and effective treatment of farsightedness.

We pay special attention to diagnostics: for this we conduct comprehensive studies that allow us to accurately determine the pathology, its form, degree and characteristics. A treatment plan is drawn up on an individual basis, in accordance with the diagnostic results and the testimony of the little patient.

By contacting us in a timely manner, you can avoid the development of complications in your child and, together with our specialists, you will help him go through the complex process of physical development in the most gentle manner possible.

According to medical statistics, farsightedness in children is detected in 90% of cases, since all babies come into the world with eye hyperopia. This is considered the norm and until a certain age, parents should not worry too much, but they should not forget about timely visits to the ophthalmologist, at least once a year.

Hyperopia in newborns refers to farsightedness, with which absolutely all children are born. This is an abnormal refraction of the eye in which the focus of the visual system is outside the retina. In children, this occurs due to the short length of the eyeball. Typically, hypermetropia persists from 1 to 3 years of age and is approximately 3 diopters. As the child grows, its value gradually decreases towards normal refraction and by school age it is about 1 diopter. This happens because the eyeball grows and the focus is set on the retina.

Therefore, farsightedness in children from 1 year to 3 years and a little older is quite normal. But it is necessary to be examined by an ophthalmologist during this period. It will help control the development of vision and prevent complications, because at a young age, hypermetropia can be more than 3 diopters.

In general, there are three types of optical systems:

1. Emmetropia is a normal condition bordering between farsightedness and myopia and does not require correction. Denoted as zero.
2. Farsightedness is a vision pathology, indicated by a “plus” sign and corrected with positive lenses.
3. Myopia is a visual impairment indicated by a minus sign and can be corrected with negative lenses.

Each small lens is measured in diopters, which characterize its refractive power. That’s why we say: “I have hyperopia plus two.” Or: “I have myopia minus six.”

Causes of complications and how to identify them

But it happens that children's farsightedness still manifests itself; the cause may be a lag in the growth of the eyeball. Children with this disorder have to strain their eye muscles to see objects. At first, their eyes seem to adjust, compensating for poor vision. But then this can result in the development of various diseases, for example, spasm of the eye muscles.

The following are also considered causes of childhood hypermetropia:

• hereditary predisposition;
• intraocular pressure;
• deformation of the eyeball;
• other disorders of the visual system.

Since children themselves cannot determine whether their eyesight is poor or good, and it is difficult for children under 1 year of age to make a diagnosis, you should pay attention to symptoms or complaints such as:

• reluctance to read;
• sharp pain in the eyes;
• frequent headaches;
• fatigue;
• visual discomfort;
• irritability;
• severe sleep disturbance.

If such complaints occur frequently, take your child to the doctor without delay. Farsightedness in an advanced state is fraught with consequences such as frequent inflammation of the eyes (conjunctivitis), an increase in the risk of developing glaucoma due to impaired outflow of intraocular fluid.

The progression of hypermetropia in children aged 1 to 3 years can lead to a disease such as amblyopia, also called “lazy eye” syndrome, which is present only at an early age. It leads to the fact that the brain cells responsible for vision, accepting a distorted picture, reduce the stimulation of normal neuronal development.

Such changes lead to decreased vision and developmental disorders. It is impossible to correct the pathology with glasses or lenses. As a bonus to amblyopia, strabismus may appear, which develops in approximately 40% of cases.

Based on the degree of pathology, childhood farsightedness is divided into three types:

1. Weak degree - up to 2 D.
2. Average farsightedness is 3-5 D.
3. High - over 5 D.

The degree can only be determined after a special medical examination by an ophthalmologist.

Age reserve

All children under 3 years of age have a reserve of farsightedness. But sometimes it may not meet the standard. This in itself is not scary, but over time complications and vision problems may appear. For example, if the eyeball grows ahead of the age norm, this means that the child has an insufficient reserve. In this case, there is a very high risk of developing myopia. With an excessive supply, characterized by delayed growth of the eyeball, the occurrence of possible complications is described above.

Correction of the visual system at an early age

All these complications and diseases can be prevented if the problem is identified early. Today, an ophthalmologist can establish a reserve of farsightedness of up to 1 year. If necessary, the doctor will prescribe glasses and prescribe special exercises. And for strabismus - complete treatment of the visual system.

Parents should understand that glasses are needed for treatment, not for causing inconvenience!

If there is an excessive supply of plus glasses, they normalize the functioning of the visual cells of the brain, preventing the development of amblyopia and strabismus, and if there is an insufficient supply, they will trigger mechanisms to slow down the growth of the eyeball.

In addition, hardware treatment with various methods of vision stimulation is also used. This course is prescribed only after the necessary examinations and is carried out 3-5 times throughout the year.

Look at the video of computer graphics of eye disease

In preschool age, from 1 to 3 years and older, it is recommended to use positive lenses even to correct a low degree of hypermetropia (about 1 D). But in this case, children should wear glasses only when doing visual work - reading, watching TV, at school, doing homework, at the computer. School-age children from 7 years of age are usually prescribed contact lenses or glasses with converging lenses.

Let us remind you once again that the earlier pathologies are identified, the greater the chances of recovery. Moreover, modern treatment technologies make it possible to completely cure childhood hypermetropia with a high percentage of success.