黃斑病變（英文：Macular Degeneration）常發生在65歲以上的人身上，因此也被稱為老年黃斑病變（英文：Age-related Macular Degeneration, AMD）。罹患此眼疾的患者會出現中央視力模糊、畫面扭曲等現象，嚴重的話甚至會導致失明。

由於黃斑病變是無法治癒的眼疾，一旦發現只能通過一些治療手段或食療來減緩黃斑病變的惡化速度。因此，預防黃斑病變變得非常重要，而通過改變一些飲食或食療來預防黃斑病變是最直接的方法之一。本文將介紹黃斑病變食療的重要營養素和飲食習慣，以幫助大家維護眼睛健康。

預防黃斑部病變的 6 大營養素

下列是對預防黃斑部病變有幫助的營養素和一些相對應的食物參考：

• 葉黃素：菠菜、蘆筍、胡蘿蔔、花椰菜、南瓜等
• 維他命A：紅蕃薯、蛋黃、牛肝、芒果、枸杞等
• 維他命B群：三文魚、豬肉、牛油果、牛奶、堅果類等
• 維他命C：檸檬、奇異果、橙、木瓜、草莓等
• 維他命E：三文魚、杏仁、腰果、小麥胚芽、橄欖油等
• 鋅：全穀類、海鮮、肉類和豆類

葉黃素

葉黃素是組成視網膜及黃斑部的重要物質，是視網膜主要色素來源。不僅具有抗氧化功效，也能吸收有害光線，減少光線對眼睛的傷害，降低罹患黃斑部病變的機率。

維他命A

適當補充維他命A可以維持視網膜上皮細胞功能正常，幫助促進角膜和視網膜的新陳代謝。

維他命B群

維他命B群包括多種維他命，如B1、B2、B6、B12等，能夠有效維護感光和視網膜神經細胞，預防細胞老化。這些維他命有助於促進眼內血液循環，消除眼部疲勞，推薦時常用眼過度的民眾多補充這類營養素以避免黃斑部病變的發生。

VITAMIN C

多補充維他命C除了可以幫助預防黃斑部病變，也可以預防白內障、青光眼、視網膜病變等眼疾。維他命C擁有超強大的抗氧化能力，能夠保護眼睛免受自由基的傷害，還能促進視網膜內微血管的血液循環，達到預防黃斑病變的效果。

VITAMIN E

維他命E具有清除自由基的功效，還可以減慢葉黃素的氧化，維持眼睛健康狀態，達到預防黃斑部病變的效果。此外，維他命E主要聚集在視網膜色素上皮細胞層及感光細胞，是維持視網膜健康的重要營養素之一。

鋅

鋅本身具有相當高的抗氧化能力，也被許多學者證實可以有效維護眼睛健康，預防黃斑部病變。此外，鋅在眼內會幫助維他命A運作代謝功能，維持視網膜上皮功能正常，維護視力健康。

預防黃斑部病變的飲食習慣

除了特定的營養素，良好的飲食習慣也是預防黃斑病變的關鍵。以下是幾種有助於視力保健的飲食法：

低升糖飲食法

糖尿病患者比起一般人會更容易罹患黃斑部病變或一系列的眼部疾病，這是因為血液中的糖分濃度過高會導致視網膜受損，甚至脫落。因此，眼科醫生一般都會建議糖尿病患者執行低升糖飲食法來減少糖化終產物，控制血糖的同時也能預防視網膜脫落、黃斑部病變等眼疾。

低升糖飲食，顧名思義即是攝入低醣類食物，從而降低血糖波動，如：全穀類、蔬菜和瘦肉，都屬於低升糖食物；而白飯、白麵包、加工肉品等則屬於高升糖食物。

除了糖尿病患者，一般人也可以考慮長期執行低升糖飲食法來維護身體健康。執行低升糖飲食法最簡單的方法是參考糖尿病食療，預防黃斑點病變的同時也可以預防糖尿病的發生。

地中海飲食法

澳洲的一項研究發現，採取地中海飲食法的參加者，罹患黃斑眼病的機率比不採取地中海飲食法的參加者降低了41%，證實了地中海食療能夠預防黃斑點病變。

地中海飲食法以新鮮蔬菜、水果、魚類、橄欖油和堅果為主，少量紅肉和乳製品。這種飲食方式富含抗氧化劑和不飽和脂肪酸，能夠有效減少眼睛的炎症反應，有助於預防黃斑病變。

如果想要通過地中海食療去預防或改善黃斑病變的話，建議向眼科醫生進行進一步諮詢或向您的營養師獲取更多預防黃斑部病變的知識和食療。

均衡飲食

如果因為工作或其他原因無法按照低升糖飲食法或地中海食療去預防黃斑病變的話，那麼就儘量確保每日攝取均衡的營養。盡可能每日進食兩份水果和五種不同顏色的蔬菜，減少快餐或高油、鹽、糖的攝入。有需要的話也可以請營養師來為你訂製一些預防黃斑眼病食療計劃或適當服用保健品。保持均衡飲食不僅有助預防黃斑病變，也能維護身體健康。

如果懷疑自己罹患黃斑病變，切勿盲目相信民間黃斑病變食療或偏方，務必要儘快諮詢眼科醫生並進行詳細檢查，讓專業醫生為您制定最有效的治療方案。

FAQ

SMILE微笑矯視（英文:Small Incision Lenticule Extraction）和 LASIK角膜切割激光矯視（英文：Laser Assisted in Situ Keratomileusis) 是兩種常見的激光視力矯正手術，各有特點和適用情況。

LASIK 使用準分子激光製作角膜瓣，再重塑角膜以矯正視力，適用於近視、遠視和散光。SMILE 則使用飛秒激光在角膜內部製作透鏡狀組織，通過小切口取出，主要治療近視和散光。

相較於 LASIK，SMILE 傷口更小，恢復更快，術後不適感和乾眼症狀較少。這兩種眼睛手術究竟有何不同？適合什麼人群？應該點揀先好？下文將為您一一解說。

什麼是 LASIK 激光矯視？

LASIK激光矯視（英文：Laser-Assisted In Situ Keratomileusis）起源於 1990 年代，於1992年引入香港，在香港是一種常見的眼科手術。

LASIK手術基本原理是通過飛秒激光打磨角膜中層去改變角膜形狀，從而矯正視力問題。LASIK可用於治療1500度或以下的近視、600度或以下的遠視和散光，通過飛秒激光精確地重新塑造角膜，能使光線正確聚焦在視網膜上，從而改善視力。

自 LASIK 手術問世以來，其技術不斷進步，手術過程變得更加精確和安全。數以萬計的患者已經通過 LASIK 手術擺脫了眼鏡和隱形眼鏡，享受更清晰的視力。如今，LASIK 手術已經發展成為一種高度成熟且被廣泛接受的視力矯正方式。

LASIK 手術流程

1. 消毒和麻醉：在手術開始前，醫生會在患者的眼睛周圍消毒和滴入麻醉劑，以確保手術過程中不會感到不適。
2. 製作角膜瓣：醫生使用飛秒激光切割角膜片，然後將其掀開，暴露出下方的角膜中層部分。
3. 激光重塑角膜：利用准分子激光精確地移除部分角膜組織，以重新塑造角膜形狀。
4. 復位角膜片：重塑完成後，將角膜瓣復位，傷口會自然癒合，因此不需要縫合。
5. 術後護理：手術後，醫生會給予一些護理指導，包括使用抗生素眼藥水和人工淚液，並建議定期回診檢查。

什麼是 SMILE 微笑矯視？

SMILE微笑激光矯視（英文：Small Incision Lenticule Extraction）是一種新型的激光矯視手術，於 2011 年面市，2014年引入香港。SMILE矯視的操作原理是利用飛秒激光，隔著上層角膜去切割角膜中層，然後通過一個小切口將其取出，以改變角膜弧度，從而達到矯視效果。這種手術方式不需要製作大的角膜瓣，因此對角膜的損傷更小。

SMILE 激光矯視可用於治療散光、近視、老花等視力問題，具有高精度和低風險的特點。由於切口小，術後恢復時間更短，患者的舒適度也更高。隨著技術的進步，香港的SMILE眼睛手術已逐漸成為許多患者的首選視力矯正手術之一。

另外，為了讓眼科醫師在做SMILE手術的時候更有效率及更安全，近期也推出了升級版SMILE PRO的儀器。SMILE PRO主打激光頻率快，對敏感緊張，害怕眼球無法專注的患者來說是一大福音。

SMILE 手術流程

1. 消毒：眼科醫生會使用眼部手術專用消毒藥水幫你清潔皮膚、眼珠、眼睫毛等眼睛周圍。
2. 切割角膜透鏡：眼科醫生會用SMILE儀器的激光，隔著上層角膜去切割角膜透鏡，即是角膜中層部分。這就是SMILE微笑激光矯視和LASIK的不同之處。
3. 製作微切口：利用激光在上層角膜開一個約2～4mm的微切口。
4. 取出透鏡：用儀器將已切割角膜透鏡從微切口抽出，再合上切口即可。
5. 術後護理：手術後，醫生會給予護理指導，包括使用抗生素眼藥水和人工淚液，並建議定期覆診檢查。

LASIK vs SMILE 比較

LASIK和SMILE各有各的好處，並不能說邊個比較好，如果想要通過手術去矯正視力，建議您到正規的眼科中心去諮詢醫生，相信在一系列的檢查和諮詢後醫生會給您最好的治療方案。

	LASIK	SMILE
適用人士	最高1500度近視最高600度遠視最高600度散光	最高1000度近視最高500度散光老花
手術時間（單眼）	約 10 分鐘	約 5 分鐘
激光程序時間（單眼）	製作角膜瓣：10秒激光重塑角膜：10～30秒	約25秒 （smile pro可縮短至10秒）
傷口大小	約 20 毫米	約 2-4 毫米
角膜自然癒合時間	數周	數小時/數天內
術後不適感	可能有輕微不適感	不適感較少
後遺症	可能有角膜瓣移位風險	smile矯視風險極低
advantage	恢復快，視力改善明顯	切口小，角膜結構更穩定
壞處	有角膜瓣相關風險	技術較新，長期效果數據較少
Dry eyes	Yes	輕微
痛楚	手術後幾乎無痛	手術後幾乎無痛

無論是 LASIK 還是做SMILE，兩者都是有效的視力矯正手術，各有其優點和適用情況。患者應該根據自身的眼部條件和需求，與專業眼科醫生進行詳細討論，選擇最適合自己的手術方式。透過現代科技的進步，相信越來越多的人能夠擺脫眼鏡和隱形眼鏡的束縛，享受更清晰的視力和更高的生活品質。

FAQ

LASIK 和 SMILE 術後會反彈嗎？

數據顯示，有超過95%的患者在LASIK術後多年仍保持良好效果，只有一小部分人在術後10年內需要進行二次手術去改善視力；至於SMILE微笑矯視的切口較細，手術後角膜也較完整，通常矯視後反彈機會都會較低。

LASIK 和 SMILE 的價格如何？價錢昂貴嗎？

LASIK 和 SMILE 的價格視個人情況而定。這取決於您想要改善什麼視力問題、手術是單只眼還是雙眼，種種因素都會影響LASIK 和 SMILE 的價格，因此建議您向信任的眼科醫生預約諮詢。

手術後多久可以恢復工作？

大多數人可以在 LASIK 手術後的 1～3 天內恢復工作，而 SMILE手術後恢復時間可能更短。每個人的情況不同，建議在術後聽取醫生建議。

SMILE術後該如何護理？

關於SMILE術後如何護理最主要還是得跟著醫生指示用藥、定期進行術後覆診、1周內避免眼睛接觸污水、避免戴con或化妝等，更多護理相關內容可到SMILE 微笑激光矯視查看。

SMILE 矯視有何風險？

SMILE 矯視風SMILE矯視雖然風險較低，但仍存在一些潛在SMILE後遺症，例如：眼乾、夜間視力下降、畏光等問題；而角膜層間發炎、細菌感染等情況則較為罕見。

近視和老花是兩種不同的視力問題，但它們確實有可能同時存在於同一個人身上。這些常見的視力問題可能會影響生活品質和工作效率，因此及早識別並積極尋找合適的矯視方案十分重要。下文將爲你𨤳清近視和老花的分別，及如何矯正近視+老花。

What is presbyopia?

老花是眼睛自然老化過程中的一部分，通常在40歲以後出現，主要表現為近距離視力模糊。隨著年齡增長，老花的度數也會逐漸增加，這是因爲眼睛的晶狀體逐漸失去彈性，也令其屈光力減弱，使得眼睛難在看近距離物體時變得困難，尤其是在較暗的環境下。

雖說老花眼的發生與年齡相關，然而，隨著科技的進步，幾乎每個人都離不開電子產品。許多人長時間低頭盯著螢幕，導致睫狀肌長時間緊繃，從而使眼睛提早進入老化階段。在香港，低於40歲的人患上老花眼的情況增加了20至30%，甚至許多人在35歲到40歲之間就開始出現老花眼的症狀。

什麼是近視？

近視與老花相反，近視是指在看近距離物體時能夠清楚看到，但看遠處物體模糊。近視通常是因為眼睛的角膜或眼睛的長度與其屈光度不匹配所致，導致光線無法正確聚焦在視網膜上。

近視的成因主要有兩種，即家族遺傳和後天形成。然而，近視主要還是由於後天因素所引起，例如長時間近距離閲讀或使用電子產品、在過亮或過暗的環境下用眼等。反而家族遺傳的風險相對較低，除非父母均爲高度近視患者。

如何分清老花及近視？

老花和近視是兩種不同的視力問題，老花是近距離看不清；而近視則是在望遠距離物體時感覺視力模糊。

以下圖表簡單概括老花和近視的徵狀、成因、如何預防和治療方法。

	Presbyopia	Myopia
徵狀	近距離影像模糊閲讀困難	遠距離影像模糊看不清路牌
成因	睫狀肌老化，晶狀體僵硬	眼球過長
預防方法	避免過度用眼健康飲食40歲後定期進行眼睛檢查*老花無法避免，只能減緩老花速度	良好的燈光下閲讀避免長時間使用電子產品定期進行眼睛檢查
治療方法	老花眼鏡老花隱形眼鏡老花矯視手術	近視眼鏡近視隱形眼鏡手術

有近視還會有老花嗎？

是的，即使有近視，也有可能在中年或老年時出現老花。近視的人原本只要戴著近視眼鏡就可以有清晰視力，但是年過40歲之後，會發現看近物時看不清楚，甚至需要把近視眼鏡拿掉才看得清，這時便需要換副有老花功能的眼鏡了。

如何治療老花及近視？

漸進式眼鏡

配戴眼鏡是最常見且平價的治療方法之一。如果同時患有近視和老花的問題，可以考慮選擇漸進式鏡片。漸進式鏡片可以將近視和老花的度數放在同一個鏡片上，免去了患者需要時常更換老花和近視眼鏡的麻煩。使用漸進式鏡片可以更方便地應對不同距離的視覺需求，是多數人會優先考慮的視力矯正方案。

隱形眼鏡

。現今市面上的隱形眼鏡不止限於單一功能，也有一些隱形眼鏡可同時矯正近視，散光和老花。對於不喜歡戴眼鏡的人來說，則可以考慮驗配老花+近視的隱形眼鏡。然而，如果想要購買能夠同時改善近視，散光和老花的隱形眼鏡則需要尋找專業眼科醫生驗配，在一系列的檢查和評估後才能訂製專屬個人度數隱形眼鏡，確保視力矯正的效果和舒適度。

矯正手術

對於一些人來說，矯視手術可能是一個更快速解決近視和老花的最佳方案。這些手術可以通過改變眼睛的結構，從而改善視力問題。如果打算通過矯正手術來恢復視力，就必須尋找正規且專業的眼科醫生進行手術。

需要注意的是，雖然手術可以解決近視和老花問題，但老花度數在年齡增長的過程中仍然會逐年增加。因此，在考慮手術前，應聽從眼科醫生的建議並深入了解手術的風險和效果。同時，患者應該做好準備，明白手術後可能需要重新配戴老花眼鏡或老花隱形眼鏡的情況。

#老花 近視 #近視 老花 同時 #近視 老花 #近視加老花

High myopia itself does not directly cause serious harm to vision, as there are a variety of ways to help improve myopia. However, the formation of high myopia is due to changes in the structure of the eyeball, so even if vision is improved using other methods, it is still necessary to face a series of complications that can lead to deep myopia, such as cataracts, retinal perforation and even peeling, glaucoma, etc.

If left untreated, these problems can lead to permanent blindness. Therefore, people with high myopia need to have an in-depth understanding of these potential risks and have regular eye exams to ensure healthy vision and deal with any issues promptly.

Definition of high myopia

High myopia is a relatively severe level of myopia. Myopia of 600 degrees or more, medically defined as high myopia. Its formation is associated with changes in the length of the eyeball.

The normal length range of an adult eyeball is 22-27mm. If the length of the eyeball is greater than 27mm, it will cause high myopia. In almost all cases, genetics play a role in the development of high myopia. If both parents are nearsighted, then their child also has a greater chance of developing high myopia.

Complications of high myopia

High myopia itself usually does not cause vision loss. However, people with this condition are more likely to develop several other sight-threatening diseases.

Retinal perforation or even detachment

The retina is the imaging site of the eye, located in the inner layer of the eyeball wall, and is a transparent film. The retina of people with high myopia will be more fragile than that of normal people, because the retina will be stretched and thinned after the eyeball becomes longer, and the retina will be more prone to perforation or rupture after thinning, and retinal detachment may occur in severe cases.

Glaucoma

Glaucoma is an eye disease in which the optic nerve is damaged due to abnormal pressure in the eyeball due to excessive or inability to drain fluid from the eyeball. In people with high myopia, the eyeball is too long, so the optic nerve or supporting tissues and blood vessels inside the eye are under more pressure, which leads to changes in intraocular pressure and the formation of glaucoma.

Cataract

People with high myopia are more likely to develop cataracts than the general population because the structure of the eye has changed, which may increase the burden on the lens, which in turn will lead to accelerated aging of the lens and the formation of cataracts.

Macular lesions and bleeding

Because of the long axis of the eye, there may be cracks in the basement membrane of cells below the macula of the retina in people with high myopia. Due to the body's self-healing function, new blood vessels grow from the choroid to the retina. In addition to occupying the photoreceptor cell layer and affecting the central visual field, these new blood vessels are susceptible to damage and cause bleeding, blood clots, and scar tissue, which can affect central vision.

Floaters

There are two main causes of floaters caused by high myopia. In the case of high myopia, the eye will age at an accelerated rate, which can lead to changes in the structure of the fibers inside the vitreous humor, and when light enters the eye, these fibers are projected onto the retina, like a mosquito floating in the eye.

Another cause is retinal detachment or tear caused by high myopia, which leads to the appearance of floaters.

High myopia test

Ophthalmologists will recommend patients with high myopia to undergo a comprehensive eye examination once or twice a year, and once symptoms are found, they can be treated immediately, making it less difficult to treat.

In the examination of high myopia, the ophthalmologist usually performs the following tests depending on the individual's situation:

• Visual acuity test: An eye test is the most common eye test and is used to determine if the eye power is stable.
• Fundus examination: Fundus examination will use color fundus photography to check for lesions or abnormalities in the optic nerve, blood vessels, retina, vitreous, etc.
• Intraocular pressure and visual field test: Intraocular pressure and visual field test can assess whether you are at risk of developing glaucoma, and if signs are found during the examination, the doctor can treat it before it affects your vision.
• Ocular CT: Ocular CT is an optical coherence tomography (OCT) that can help detect macular lesions early.
• Slit-lamp examination: The doctor can clearly observe the eyelids, conjunctiva, sclera, cornea, anterior chamber, iris, pupil, lens and anterior 1/3 of the vitreous through the slit-lamp microscope, and can determine the location, nature, size and depth of the lesion.

Regular eye exams can detect any underlying eye problems early and prompt appropriate treatment measures to ensure healthy vision.

Even if laser vision correction surgery reduces the degree of high myopia, complications cannot be avoided

In recent years, some patients with high myopia have undergone laser vision correction surgery, and their myopia has decreased, so they have forgotten to continue to pay attention to the problems that may be caused by high myopia. But in fact, laser correction only changes the curvature of the cornea, not the length of the eyeball. Therefore, all complications arising from the length of the eyeball will not be reduced by LAIS!

High myopia causes cataracts to deepen rapidly

In a recent study of cataracts and cataract surgical outcomes for high myopia, researchers found that cataracts in highly myopic eyes occurred more quickly compared to normal eyes. In addition, there is a higher prevalence of comorbid diseases and complications (e.g., retinal detachment) in the eye with high myopia.

Therefore, people with high myopia must have a routine eye exam so that their ophthalmologist can monitor the health of their eyes and look for these symptoms as well as signs of other complications of severe myopia.

Myopia is one of the most common eye problems among children nowadays. According to the Department of Health, about 18% of children aged 6 in Hong Kong have myopia. The rate of myopia in 12-year-olds is as high as 62%, which is much higher than that in other Eurasia regions. In addition to bad eye habits, if parents themselves have high myopia, the chance of children suffering from myopia will also increase significantly. Therefore, early prevention and control of myopia in children is extremely important.

Electronic products are the leading cause of myopia in children

With the popularization of electronic products, the age group of myopic children has gradually increased. Many parents use electronic products as children's pacifiers, and children develop the habit of relying on electronic products when their eyes are not fully developed, affecting the normal development of their eyes.

Among children with myopia, up to 80% of children myopia is caused by poor eye habits. Watching the electronic screen for a long time will make the pupil constantly adapt to the change of light source, so that the ciliary muscle that regulates the pupil is always in a state of tension, resulting in excessive eye fatigue and enhancing the risk of myopia in children. To prevent or control myopia in children, parents must strictly control the amount of time their children spend using electronic devices, encourage them to participate in outdoor activities, and reduce their reliance on electronic nipples.

Is myopia in children also true and false?

But in fact, myopia also has "true myopia" and "pseudomyopia", the former is because the eye structure has changed, so it cannot recover naturally; The latter is a manifestation of temporary eye fatigue, which can be improved as long as the eye muscles are properly relaxed. Since the two types of myopia recover in different ways, the focus should be on understanding which type of myopia children belong to.

Pseudomyopia often occurs in children under the age of 12, because the ciliary muscles of children are quite powerful, and they use electronic products for a long time in close proximity, which is prone to the inability of the ciliary muscles to relax naturally, resulting in pseudomyopia. However, as long as the eyes are sufficiently rested, children with pseudomyopia can return to normal vision.

If you suspect that the child at home has vision problems, it is recommended to seek an ophthalmologist for examination immediately, usually pseudomyopia in children can be restored, most of them are ordered to relax the eyes, so as to detect the true refractive state of the eyes, to judge true/false myopia.

Although pseudomyopia in children can recover, it is also a major sign of myopia, and if children do not correct their eye habits in time, they may also become true myopia.

How to find out if a child has myopia?

Children will not realize that they have vision problems, so parents should pay extra attention to whether children have myopia or other vision problems through observation. If the following signs of myopia occur, parents should take their child to consult an ophthalmologist:

• Blink or rub your eyes frequently
• Often pull the corners of your eyes or squint to see things in the distance
• Often tilt your head to see things
• When looking at things, the eyes are close to things

What are the consequences of neglecting to control myopia in children?

Some parents may think that if their children's myopia is not deep, they can ignore it. However, in fact, if children's myopia is not controlled, the degree of myopia will gradually increase with age, and even soar in a short period of time. If you already have myopia at a young age, it is easy to cause myopia to exceed 500 degrees.

But do you think it's just as simple as deepening myopia? No! When the degree of myopia is deeper, the chance of suffering from eye diseases such as cataracts, glaucoma, and macular degeneration will increase exponentially in the future, and severe may even lead to blindness.

• Cataracts: People with high myopia tend to degenerate and cloudify their lenses, leading to an increased risk of cataracts.
• Glaucoma: People with high myopia have higher intraocular pressure and are 4 times more likely to develop glaucoma.
• Macular degeneration: Among patients with myopia of 800 degrees and myopia for 10 years, about 5~10% of patients have macular degeneration.
• Floaters: The vitreous of highly myopic people is prone to degeneration, resulting in fibrofilamentous suspended solids.
• Retinal detachment: The retina of highly myopic people is prone to degeneration or atrophy, and the risk of developing retinal detachment is more than 20 times that of ordinary people.

Therefore, parents should actively pay attention to the degree of myopia in children and take control and preventive measures to avoid children becoming highly myopic in the future.

What are the ways to control myopia in children?

Generally speaking, the ideal rate of myopia progression for children should be maintained at no more than 50 degrees per year. If children's myopia increases by more than 100 degrees per year, it is an unusual situation, and it may develop into high myopia in the future, and even increase the risk of complications, so the medical community has been committed to developing a variety of methods to control and improve myopia in children in recent years to slow down the progression of myopia in children.

Low-concentration atropine eye drops

Low-concentration atropine eye drops can inhibit scleral overgrowth, slow down eye elongation, and then control the progression of myopia in children, which can slow the progression by 67% in 1 year.

However, some children may experience photophobia side effects after using low-concentration atropine eye drops, or may not be clear when seeing things at close range, so caution should be taken before using low-concentration atropine eye drops.

ORTHOKERATOLOGY CONTACT LENSES (OK LENSES)

ORTHOKERATOLOGY CONTACT LENSES (OK LENSES) ARE CONTACT LENSES WORN AT NIGHT AND ARE SUITABLE FOR CHILDREN WITH MYOPIA WHOSE MYOPIA DOES NOT EXCEED 600 DEGREES. THE PRINCIPLE IS TO HELP SHAPE THE CORNEA THROUGH HIGHLY OXYGEN-PERMEABLE RIGID LENSES, ALLOWING USERS TO SEE CLEARLY DURING THE DAY WITHOUT GLASSES. STUDIES HAVE CONFIRMED THAT LONG-TERM WEARING OF OK LENSES CAN CONTROL THE DEEPENING OF MYOPIA IN CHILDREN, AND GENERALLY CAN DELAY THE SPEED OF MYOPIA IN CHILDREN TO 50%~80%.

However, orthokeratology contact lenses are only temporary vision corrections, and if they are stopped, the deepening of myopia in children will return to their original state.

IN ADDITION, THE PRICE OF OK LENSES TO CONTROL CHILDREN'S MYOPIA IS USUALLY AROUND HK$5,000~HK$10,000, PLUS THE LENSES NEED TO BE REPLACED EVERY 9 MONTHS OR SO, SO THE PRICE OF SUCH CHILDREN'S MYOPIA CONTROL LENSES MAY BE A BIT BURDENSOME FOR SOME FAMILIES.

DEFOCUSING LENSES (DIMS)

There are two degrees of defocusing lenses, namely ordinary myopia lenses in the center and peripheral lenses, which use myopic defocusing optical elements to focus peripheral images in front of the retina, thereby slowing down eye elongation and controlling the speed of myopia in children. Studies have confirmed that children who wear defocusing lenses have significantly reduced myopia by 52% within 2 years.

UNFORTUNATELY, DEFOCUSING LENSES ARE ONLY SUITABLE FOR MYOPIC CHILDREN WITH MYOPIA OF NO MORE THAN 650 DEGREES AND ASTIGMATISM OF NO MORE THAN 400 DEGREES, AND CHILDREN WHO EXCEED THIS DEGREE CAN ONLY FIND OTHER CONTROL SOLUTIONS. IN ADDITION, THE PRICE OF THESE CHILDREN'S MYOPIA CONTROL LENSES IS NOT LOW, AND MOST OF THE COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE CHILDREN'S MYOPIA CONTROL DEFOCUSING LENSES START FROM HK$4,000, WHICH DIRECTLY DISCOURAGES PARENTS WHO WANT TO USE LENSES TO CONTROL CHILDREN'S MYOPIA.

AN EARLIER METHOD TO CONTROL MYOPIA IN CHILDREN - AI MYOPIA CONTROL PROGRAM FOR CHILDREN

As mentioned above, some eye drops to control myopia in children may have side effects, and the current high price of defocusing lenses for controlling myopia in children, coupled with the so-called "prevention is better than cure", parents are beginning to realize that to control children's myopia and the chance of myopia deepening, they should not start planning after discovering that they have myopia, but should start to control the risk of myopia in children at an earlier stage.

THE CHILDREN'S AI MYOPIA CONTROL PROGRAM IS A KEY RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT PROJECT IN HONG KONG IN RECENT YEARS, WITH A PREDICTION ACCURACY RATE OF MORE THAN 80%. THE PURPOSE IS TO PREDICT THE DEVELOPMENT OF MYOPIA IN CHILDREN IN THE NEXT 3 YEARS IN ADVANCE, AND CUSTOMIZE INDIVIDUALIZED TREATMENT PLANS IN ADVANCE TO CONTROL THE DEEPENING OF MYOPIA OR RESTORE VISION IN CHILDREN.

THE MAIN PROCESS OF THE CHILDREN'S AI MYOPIA CONTROL PROGRAM IS AS FOLLOWS:

1. Fill in the questionnaire on children's habits
2. Perform various eye examinations
3. Enter the examination data and analyze the children's myopia in the next 3 years through artificial intelligence and big data
4. Parents and ophthalmologists can use the reports and charts to find out whether children's myopia development is at high risk
5. Based on the evaluation results, the ophthalmologist will customize personalized treatment for the child to delay the progression of myopia in children and reduce the risk of high myopia.

At present, the children's AI myopia control project led by ophthalmologist Dr. Tang Wenjie has been verified in 129,242 adolescent populations, with a prediction accuracy rate of more than 80%, providing early warning of myopia among adolescents.

PARENTS CAN ACCURATELY PREDICT THEIR CHILDREN'S FUTURE MYOPIA CHANGES THROUGH THE "AI INTELLIGENT PLATFORM FOR MYOPIA CONTROL IN CHILDREN", AND THE PREDICTION RESULTS CAN BE INTELLIGENTLY ANALYZED THROUGH THE BIG DATA OF THIS AI PLATFORM, SO THAT PARENTS CAN OBSERVE THE CHANGES IN THE REFRACTIVE ERROR PERFORMANCE OF THEIR CHILDREN AT DIFFERENT AGES ACCORDING TO THE PREDICTION REPORT (PARENTS CAN SEE THIS AS THE "REFRACTIVE DEVELOPMENT FILE"). BASED ON THE FORECAST REPORT, THE OPHTHALMOLOGIST WILL ALSO ANALYZE THE CURRENT MYOPIA SITUATION OF THE CHILDREN FOR PARENTS IN DETAIL, COMPARE THE NORMAL REFRACTIVE PERFORMANCE OF THE SAME AGE GROUP, AND FORMULATE PERSONALIZED MYOPIA TREATMENT PLANS.

Everyday ways to improve or control myopia in children

To prevent or control myopia, in addition to seeking the help of an ophthalmologist, parents can also help myopic children recover or improve their vision from daily life.

Establish proper eye habits

Try to stipulate that children should maintain a correct sitting posture when doing homework or reading, avoid lying on their stomachs or lying down, and should also avoid them reading or playing with mobile phones in a dim environment, and control the daily use of electronic products by myopic children, and develop the good habit of resting for 5~10 minutes every 30 minutes with their eyes.

Consume eye-friendly foods

PARENTS CAN ALSO GIVE THEIR CHILDREN MORE EYE PROTECTION FOODS SUCH AS VITAMINS A, C, E, LUTEIN, ANTHOCYANINS, ETC., WHICH CAN HELP MYOPIC CHILDREN RESTORE OR IMPROVE THEIR VISION.

Outdoor activities

It is recommended that parents take children to outdoor activities every day, such as playground play, park walking, reduce their time to use electronic products, and outdoor sunlight can also stimulate the secretion of retinal dopamine, effectively control the deepening of myopia in children.

Myopia in children develops very quickly, and the slightest attention can quickly soar. Therefore, in addition to supervising children to develop good eye habits in daily life, it is recommended that parents regularly take children for eye examinations. Once abnormalities are found, appropriate control measures and treatment plans can be taken in time to ensure the health of children's vision.