Over the years, I’ve met many bookworms online, most of whom I’ve known for a long time but never met before. However, these bookworms have long since become a part of my life without me even realizing it.
A few days ago, I received a letter from the mother of Yuanyuan, a little bookworm. It touched me deeply, so I’m posting the letter here to share with everyone. Yuanyuan’s mother wrote to say that Yuanyuan and Xiaoyin are in the same grade. Thanks to their reading, they have excellent grades in school and their reading has developed very well. They are real bookworms. But not long ago, during an unintentional physical examination, it was discovered that she was nearsighted. Her mother and father were very worried, especially her father, who felt that it was all “the fault of reading.” Yuanyuan’s mother also asked me to tell the parents of little book lovers, “I sincerely hope that children who enjoy reading will have a pair of bright big eyes and appreciate this beautiful natural world. Parents should pay attention to this as early as possible, and don’t be like me. When I think about it, it’s too late.”
My reply is as follows:
Hello, Yuanyuan’s mother!
I’m so glad to hear from you! It’s also nice to hear about Yuanyuan’s recent situation :)
However, eye problems are indeed worthy of attention. We recently invited Dr. Su, a Taiwanese ophthalmologist who specializes in both Chinese and Western medicine, to Beijing for a discussion, primarily to ask him about children’s vision development.
Currently, children (especially elementary school students) in mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan are experiencing severe vision loss. However, overall, these children’s reading habits are also not very promising, so, broadly speaking, we don’t need to directly link excessive reading with vision loss. According to ophthalmologists, the root cause of children’s vision loss is “excessive close-up work,” which includes studying at school, doing homework, watching TV, using the computer, and, of course, reading (usually outside of class). But among these many “culprits,” what percentage of this work is actually spent reading? It’s likely very little, primarily because children have so little time to themselves each day.
Of course, this depends on the specific situation. For example, if a child already spends more than eight hours in school frequently using their eyes at close range, even if they spend an additional hour reading, it will still have a significant impact on their eye health overall. However, even if you can reduce the reading time from one hour to half an hour, it will hardly make much of a difference.
At Dr. Su’s suggestion, we also had Xiaoyin’s eyesight checked. The results revealed that she does have a tendency toward myopia in one eye, but further observation and follow-up examinations are needed to determine whether she needs glasses. However, Xiaoyin’s mother’s side of the family is mostly nearsighted, so there’s a chance it’s hereditary. So while we don’t expect Xiaoyin to be completely immune to the risk of myopia, we’re still trying to at least avoid the possibility of “pseudomyopia.”
But taking Xiaoyin’s school as an example, I feel like they spend too much time in class and on exercises (sometimes even skipping breaks), and then come home with almost an hour of homework. While we strictly limit TV and computer time (no more than half an hour per day), for a little bookworm, even an hour of reading a day wouldn’t be too much to ask. So, overall, I feel it’s really difficult to keep children’s “close-up work” within a “moderate” range.
But I think there are a few things Dr. Su reminds me that are particularly worth sharing:
First, from the perspective of Traditional Chinese Medicine, eye health is part of overall health, a window into overall well-being. Therefore, protecting your eyes fundamentally involves maintaining overall physical and mental health.
Secondly, we should make some adjustments to the problem of “close-range eye work” as much as possible, and provide more opportunities for work that can continuously change the distance of the eyes, that is, to keep the eyes relaxed functionally (similar to the principle of mydriasis). We often say that the eyes should be kept looking into the distance frequently, which is the reason. However, children in cities now lack such opportunities. Ophthalmologists strongly recommend that children do more sports that can help with this. It is said that playing table tennis is the most effective, followed by badminton. As a joke, table tennis players don’t wear glasses, haha. The principle is that during exercise, the eyes will constantly and quickly adjust to the distance. Therefore, we plan to give Xiaoyin the opportunity to practice table tennis more, mainly for the eyes:)
Third, children’s eye habits are particularly important. The time spent on close-up work should not be too long. The posture when reading should be appropriate, and the light source should be appropriate. It is best to have multiple light sources indoors (for example, using ceiling lights and table lamps at the same time). Teach children some basic eye care knowledge, etc.
Fourth, if “pseudomyopia” is indeed discovered, there is no need to worry. Just seek normal medical correction and try to improve your child’s eye environment and habits.
In short, I’m also constantly learning. I believe that children who love reading will be successful, but a successful life doesn’t necessarily mean a happy life. We really hope to help children live more naturally and freely, but when we think about it, the ones who need to change the most are us, haha!
I have been thinking about this issue recently, and I would like to share some of my thoughts, hoping that they will be of some help to you.
To add:
By the way, there is also an article about Pingshu to share, the URL is as follows:
http://www.hongniba.com.cn/bbs/article.aspx?board=@__5&id=3243
Listening to books with your ears is also a way to replace using your eyes:)
Xiaoyin’s father
Who is to blame for declining eyesight? — A chat with Yuanyuan’s mom about eye care for her bookworm.
