To avoid nearsightedness, children should not watch TV for more than 60 minutes.

After each study hour, children need to rest for 10-15 minutes; watch TV, play video games for no more than 60 minutes at a time, do not sit too close... to avoid refractive errors.

According to Dr. Le Viet Son, Head of the Ophthalmology Department, Bach Mai Hospital (Hanoi), the rate of refractive errors is increasing, especially in school-age children. There are three types of refractive errors that children often have: myopia, hyperopia and astigmatism, of which myopia is the most common, accounting for 2/3 of cases.

There are two main groups of causes of refractive errors in school-age children: congenital and acquired. Congenital causes are often due to genetic factors, family factors and breed. Acquired causes are often due to living, studying, working and unreasonable habits such as incorrect sitting posture, lighting conditions, unsuitable desks and chairs, unreasonable reading habits, playing video games, watching TV, using computers, etc.

Children need to have their eyes examined every 6 months.

In fact, many students, due to studying too hard, focusing on their eyes for a long time, can lead to myopia. In addition, in the city, due to cramped housing conditions, children watching TV too close also causes their eyesight to decline. Using computers and playing video games that require high concentration, causing the eyes to have to adjust for many hours, can lead to eye strain and myopia due to "accommodation spasms".

Desks and chairs that are not age-appropriate, incorrect sitting posture, or when tired, children often lie down on the desk to do homework, and insufficient lighting in the classroom are factors that damage the eyes. Vision is not expanded, usually within 5m, and there is a lack of environment to help children practice their eye muscles to see far away, so children's ability to see far away becomes weaker and weaker, said Dr. Son.

Looking closely and studying continuously for many hours will also increase the possibility of myopia in children. Photo: Internet

Therefore, to prevent refractive errors in school-age children, doctors recommend that parents ensure that their children have a reasonable study and outdoor play schedule so that their eyes can rest and adjust between near and far vision. When studying, take a 10-15 minute break every hour. When watching TV or playing video games, do not spend more than 60 minutes at a time, and do not sit too close as this will affect your eyes.

The study area should have enough light, use a fluorescent lamp with a reflective shade, the light should be from the front or opposite the hand holding the pen, the study corner should be arranged near the window. Do not read books in low light conditions, when traveling by train or car, when lying down. Sit with your back straight, head slightly bent about 10-15 degrees. The height of the table and chair should be arranged appropriately so that the distance from the eyes to the books is 25 cm for primary school students, 30 cm for middle school students and 35 cm for high school students. The writing on the board and in notebooks must be clear, do not write in red or green ink, do not read books with too small letters, printed on yellow or black paper or paper that is too white or too shiny.

In addition, children need to have a good diet for the eyes, sleep 8-10 hours a day; eat lots of green vegetables and fruits to ensure enough vitamins for the body. Children need to have their eyes examined every 6 months or when there are suspicious signs such as blurred vision, rubbing eyes, squinting, tilting the head, bending close to the notebook, writing or reading many mistakes...

According to VNE