They are expensive and inconvenient to put on and take off. Are OK glasses really a magical tool for preventing myopia?

They are expensive and inconvenient to put on and take off. Are OK glasses really a magical tool for preventing myopia?

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As the myopia rate among children and adolescents remains high, parents are paying more and more attention to their children's vision. In recent years, the popularity of OK glasses has also increased again. Professional doctors said that OK lenses can only control the degree and cannot cure myopia. Patients should do corresponding examinations before wearing OK lenses to ensure that they meet the requirements, and follow-up observations should be done after wearing them. In addition, to prevent myopia, it is more important to develop good eye habits.

"For comparison with the left eye, 3 months before wearing OK lenses, the axial length of the eye was 0.17 mm, and it slowed down to 0.03 mm in the past 3 months." Walking out of the ophthalmology clinic of a tertiary hospital in Beijing, Chen Mai breathed a long sigh of relief and thought: "The 'little glasses' at home can be saved."

Last year, his 8-year-old daughter Xixi started to squint to see things. Chen Mai took her for an optometry and found out that she had developed 150-degree myopia in both eyes. After the initial panic and self-blame, Chen Mai followed the doctor's advice and chose OK lenses for Xixi.

June 6th is National Eye Care Day. Data from the National Health Commission show that the overall myopia rate among children and adolescents in my country is 52.7%. In order to alleviate their children's myopia, some parents place their hopes on OK glasses. What is the principle of OK mirror? Does it work for all children? Will long-term wearing have any adverse effects on children's eyes?

OK lenses can control the degree but cannot cure myopia

External application, ear patches, corrective devices... When Xixi was first diagnosed with myopia, Chen Pulse rushed to the doctor and tried various folk remedies with little success. She was told by doctors that there was no cure for myopia and that early intervention could be the only way to slow its progression.

The doctor provided Chen Mai with two intervention options, wearing glasses or OK lenses. The correction effect of the two is the same. The difference is that the latter only needs to be worn at night and has better control effect.

Shen Ling, member of the China Children's Vision and Health Care Group and chief physician of Dalian Women and Children's Medical Center, said that the OK lens is shaped like a contact lens and is a rigid gas-permeable corneal contact lens that needs to be worn continuously for 6 to 8 hours at night to make the center of the cornea It becomes flattened by being squeezed and maintained all day long under inertia.

Shen Ling analyzed that myopia is closely related to the elongation of the eye axis and abnormal curvature. The corneal curvature of a person reaches a stable state around the age of 3, and the eye axis will continue to grow with physical development. Therefore, for acquired myopia, controlling the degree is to control the eye. axis.

"Wearing OK lenses is a reversible physical correction. After you stop wearing it, the cornea can rebound to its original refractive state over time. After the shape of the cornea changes, it will produce a 'myopic defocus' effect. In addition to ensuring central focus, it allows Peripheral light is still imaged in front of the retina, releasing a 'forward adjustment' growth signal to the retina, thereby slowing down the growth rate of the eye axis," Shen Ling said.

According to the "Myopia Prevention and Control Guidelines" issued by the National Health Commission, long-term wearing of OK lenses can delay the progression of axial length in adolescents by about 0.19 mm/year. This is consistent with Shen Ling's clinical observation: "For every 1 mm increase in the axial length of the eye, myopia increases by about 200 to 300 degrees. Without intervention, the average child's myopia will increase by about 100 degrees per year, and using OK lenses will reduce it by an average of 50 to 60 degrees."

Wearing OK glasses must meet the corresponding conditions

It is understood that OK mirror technology was introduced into China as early as the 1990s and once became popular across the country. However, in just a few years, cases of visual impairment or even blindness caused by wearing OK glasses have appeared in many places, and they have gradually faded out of public view. In recent years, the popularity of OK mirrors has increased again. The reporter found that it was “hard to get a first-class appointment” at the orthokeratology clinics in major hospitals in Beijing. Many parents said, “We have to wait for about 10 days on working days, and we can’t even get appointments during holidays.”

After 28 years in the industry, Shen Ling has witnessed the reversal of OK Mirror’s reputation. She told reporters that the previous problems with OK lenses were due to the mixed market, many participants lacked qualifications, and a large number of products were copied. On the other hand, there is insufficient publicity and education, and some parents do not care for the lenses properly. "For example, to save trouble, they use tap water instead of cleaning fluid, which leads to Acanthamoeba infection."

In recent years, OK lenses have been included in the "Class III medical devices" for strict management, further clarifying the wearing indications, and developing more complete fitting specifications.

Shen Ling said that the patient must be over 8 years old, myopia should generally not exceed 600 degrees, and astigmatism should not exceed 150 degrees. “If the cornea is naturally flat and has less room for shaping, the allowable power may be further reduced.”

It is understood that the wearer cannot suffer from eye or systemic diseases. Before fitting, a series of examinations such as slit lamp, optometry, fundus, intraocular pressure, corneal topography, etc. are required. If the indications are met and there are no adverse reactions during the trial, the lenses can be customized. After wearing glasses, parents should follow the doctor's instructions to disinfect and care for the lenses and accessories in a timely manner, and take their children for follow-up consultations one day, one week, and one month after wearing them, and follow-up observations every three months thereafter to ensure that the lenses are consistent with the condition of the eyes. .

The reporter's interview found that since most of the core materials are imported from foreign countries, the cost of wearing OK glasses remains high. Chen Mai did some calculations. The price of a pair of lenses is about 10,000 yuan. If they are well maintained, they can be worn for a year and a half. With the daily use of eye drops, care solutions, etc., the total cost per year is close to 15,000 yuan. Thousand dollars.

Improving eye habits is more important

For every family, wearing OK glasses is a constant process of getting used to. "Mrs. Toothpick" is a parenting blogger. Her daughter, Xiao Hei, has been wearing glasses for nearly a year and a half. Although the mother and daughter have established a sufficient tacit understanding, the mother still has lingering fears when talking about the first "thrilling moment". "Once she was too nervous and closed her eyes hard, and the lens slipped under her eyes, turning the whites of her eyes blue, which scared me. . After that, I couldn’t open my eyes without crying and fussing for several days.”

"Ever since my children started wearing this, I have never slept in. After a lot of cleaning, taking it on and putting it on, both adults and children are awake." In order to ensure that the wearing time is 6 to 8 hours, Chen Mai spends weekends. A life with an alarm clock. The doctor asked not to rub her eyes or sleep on her stomach. In the first few days, she couldn't sleep well every night and wanted to be by Xixi's side all the time.

Like many parents, Chen Mai gradually realized that wearing OK glasses was just the beginning of a protracted battle to prevent and control myopia.

"The occurrence and development of myopia are determined by genetic factors and eye-use habits. In addition to medical intervention, it is particularly important to develop good eye-use habits." Shen Ling suggested that at least two hours of outdoor activities should be guaranteed every day. Intense light will stimulate the secretion of dopamine in the eyes and effectively inhibit the growth of the axial length of the eye; strictly control the time of using eyes at close range and follow the "20-20-20" principle, that is, after using eyes at close range (within 5 meters) for 20 minutes, look far away for 20 minutes. Keep resting for 20 seconds against the scenery beyond 6 meters; also pay attention to the reading and writing posture of "one punch, one foot, one inch", pay attention to the good lighting in the room, balanced nutritional intake, and adequate sleep. (Some of the interviewees in this article are pseudonyms)

Source: Workers Daily