The rate of refractive errors in Vietnamese children is increasing, especially in big cities like Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, the main cause is lifestyle.
The information was announced by Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Lien Huong at the launching ceremony of the Program for public health Healthy eyes and bright future October 7, in Hanoi. This is an activity in response to World Sight Day.
Survey on the status of refractive errors in children in some primary and secondary schools in 2020 in Hanoi and 2023 in Ho Chi Minh City by the Central Eye Hospital shows that the proportion of children with refractive errors is eyes, especially myopia, is increasing day by day. In Hanoi, about 51% of children have refractive errors, of which myopia accounts for 37.5%, farsightedness accounts for 8.2% and astigmatism is 5.3%. In Ho Chi Minh City, the rate of children with refractive errors is up to 75.6%, of which 52.7% of children are nearsighted.
While another survey in the 2019-2020 school year, also conducted by the Ho Chi Minh City Center for Disease Control (HCDC), recorded the rate of students with refractive errors was more than 27%. Thus, the number of students with eye problems in Ho Chi Minh City increases rapidly over time.
Refractive errors, including nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism… can be found at all ages, and are common among students, office workers, and people who have a lot of contact with electronic devices. General statistics from the Ministry of Health record that Vietnam has 5 million children with refractive errors, of which myopia accounts for the majority. The disease is more common in city children than in children living in the countryside. The World Health Organization (WHO) predicts that 50% of the global population is likely to be nearsighted by 2050.
Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Lien Huong spoke at the ceremony. Image: Minh Thu
Associate Professor Dr. Pham Ngoc Dong, Director of the Central Eye Hospital, also acknowledged that the rate of myopia in children is increasing, especially in cities, even in many classrooms, over 50% of students are nearsighted. town.
Congenital (genetic) myopia accounts for about 30%. This defect is very difficult to prevent and control if children are not screened or proactively visited eye specialist facilities. The remaining 70% is related to daily lifestyle. Typical examples include prolonged close-up vision, early contact with electronic devices,… or the habit of regularly sitting in the room and not doing outdoor activities.
“Myopia or eye diseases in general limit a child’s learning ability. If not detected early and intervened promptly, myopia progression rapidly can cause many serious complications for the child. eyeball and affects vision,” Associate Professor Dong said.
Students at Hoang Dieu Primary School (Hanoi) had their eyes examined on the morning of October 7. Image: Le Nga
Deputy Minister Huong said that one of the Ministry of Health’s health care targets for children and students is to increase the rate of students being screened to detect vision loss, being prescribed glasses and being guided in vision training. increase to 40% by 2025. On this occasion, the program will organize free eye care for tens of thousands of students at 20 primary schools and preschools in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.
At the program, experts recommended that parents should pay attention to increasing children’s play outdoors, in open spaces, and limit the use of screen devices. At the same time, it is necessary to follow the 20-20-20 principle, which means that after every 20 minutes of looking at an electronic device screen, parents should let their children rest for at least 20 seconds and focus their eyes on an object more than 20 feet away. (about 6 m).
Children with nearsightedness need to wear appropriate glasses and have regular check-ups to adjust the glasses to the correct degree. Eat enough nutrients, pay attention to supplementing foods containing vitamin A, carotene…