The price is high, and it is inconvenient to wear and tear. Are OK mirrors really anti-myopia artifacts?
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With the high rate of myopia among children and adolescents, parents pay more and more attention to their children's vision, and the popularity of OK lenses has risen again in recent years.
Professional doctors said that OK mirrors can only control the degree and cannot cure myopia. Patients should do corresponding inspections before wearing OK mirrors to ensure that they meet the requirements, and follow-up observations should be done after wearing them.
In addition, the prevention of myopia is more important to develop good eye habits.
"Comparing with the left eye, the axial length of the eye increased by 0.17 mm in the first 3 months of wearing the OK lens, and it slowed down to 0.03 mm in the past three months." Walking out of the ophthalmology clinic of a tertiary hospital in Beijing, Chen Mai breathed a sigh of relief and thought: "The 'little glasses' at home are saved."
Last year, her 8-year-old daughter, Xixi, started squinting to see things. Chen Mai took her to an optometry to find 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 the OK mirror for Xixi.
June 6 is National Eye Care Day.
According to data from the National Health Commission, the overall myopia rate among children and adolescents in my country is 52.7%.
In order to alleviate children's myopia, some parents pin their hopes on OK mirrors.
What is the principle of OK mirror?
Does it work for all children?
Will long-term wear have adverse effects on children's eyes?
OK mirror can control the degree but not cure myopia
External application, ear stickers, corrective device... When Xixi was just diagnosed with myopia, Chen's pulse disease rushed to the doctor, and he tried all kinds of remedies with little success.
She was told by doctors that there is no cure for myopia, but early intervention to slow the progression.
The doctor provided Chen Mai with two intervention plans, wearing frame glasses or OK glasses, both of which have the same corrective effect, the difference is that the latter only needs to be worn at night, and the control effect is better.
Shen Ling, member of the Chinese Children's Vision and Health Care Group and chief physician of Dalian Women and Children's Medical Center, introduced that the OK lens is similar to a contact lens and is a rigid gas permeable contact lens. Squeezed and flattened and maintained under inertia all day long.
Shen Ling analyzed that myopia is closely related to axial elongation and abnormal curvature. The curvature of the cornea reaches a stable state around the age of 3, and the axial length of the eye will continue to grow with physical development. Therefore, for acquired myopia, controlling the degree is controlling the eye. axis.
"Wearing OK lenses is a reversible physical correction. After stopping wearing, the cornea can bounce back to its original refractive state. After the corneal shape changes, it will produce a 'myopia defocusing' effect. Peripheral light is still imaged in front of the retina, releasing a growth signal of 'forward adjustment' to the retina, thereby slowing down the growth rate of the eye axis." Shen Ling said.
According to the "Guidelines for the Prevention and Control of Myopia" issued by the National Health and Medical Commission, wearing OK lenses for a long time can delay the progression of the axial length of adolescents by about 0.19 mm/year.
This is in line with Shen Ling's clinical observation: "For every 1 mm increase in the axial length of the eye, the myopia increases by about 200 to 300 degrees. Without intervention, the average child will increase by about 100 degrees per year, and the use of the OK lens will reduce it by an average of 50 to 60 degrees."
Wearing OK glasses must meet the corresponding conditions
It is understood that the OK mirror technology was introduced into China as early as the 1990s, and once swept the country.
However, in just a few years, there have been many cases of visual impairment and even blindness caused by wearing OK glasses, which gradually faded out of the public eye.
The popularity of OK mirrors has risen again in recent years.
The reporter found that the orthokeratology clinics of major hospitals in Beijing are "hard to find", and many parents said that "the working day will be about 10 days, and the holidays will not be available at all."
For 28 years, Shen Ling has witnessed the reversal of the reputation of OK mirror.
She told reporters that the previous problem of OK mirror was due to the mixed market, many participants lacked qualifications, and the products were copied in large numbers.
On the other hand, there is a lack of publicity and education, and some parents do not take care of the lenses properly.
In recent years, OK mirrors have been included in the "three types of 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 not exceed 600 degrees, and astigmatism should not exceed 150 degrees.
"If the cornea is naturally flat, with less room for shaping, the allowable power may be further reduced."
It is understood that the wearer cannot suffer from ocular or systemic, systemic diseases.
Before fitting, a series of examinations such as slit lamp, optometry, fundus, intraocular pressure, corneal topography and so on should be done.
After the glasses are fitted, parents should follow the doctor's advice to disinfect and care for the lenses and accessories in a timely manner, and take their children for follow-up visits one day, one week, and one month after wearing them. .
The reporter found that because most of the core materials are imported from abroad, the wearing cost of OK mirrors remains high.
Chen Mai calculated an account. 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. In addition to the daily use of eye drops and care solutions, the total annual cost is close to 15,000 yuan. thousand dollars.
It is more important to improve eye habits
For every family, wearing OK glasses is a constant running-in process.
"Mrs. Toothpick" is a parenting blogger, her daughter Xiaohei has been wearing glasses for nearly a year and a half.
Although the mother and daughter have established enough tacit understanding, when it comes to the first "thrilling moment", the mother still has lingering fears, "Once she was too nervous, she closed her eyes so hard, the lens slipped to the bottom of her eyes, and the whites of her eyes turned blue, which scared me. After that, I cried and cried for several days and couldn't keep my eyes open."
"Since the child started wearing this, I have never slept in. After cleaning and wearing it, adults and children are awake." In order to ensure the wearing time of 6 to 8 hours, Chen Mai also passed the weekend. The life of setting the alarm clock.
The doctor asked not to rub her eyes and not to sleep on her stomach. In the first few days, she couldn't sleep well every night, and she could not wait to be by Xixi's side all the time.
Like many parents, Chen Mai gradually realized that wearing OK glasses is only the beginning of the protracted battle against myopia.
"The occurrence and development of myopia are jointly determined by genetic factors and eye habits. In addition to medical intervention, it is particularly important to develop good eye habits." Shen Ling suggested that at least two hours of outdoor activities should be guaranteed every day. Intensive light will stimulate the secretion of dopamine in the eyes, which can effectively inhibit the growth of the eye axis; strictly control the time of using the eyes at close range, and follow the "20-20-20" principle, that is, after using the eyes at close range (within 5 meters) for 20 minutes, you can look far away for 20 minutes. The scenery beyond the feet (6 meters) will continue to rest for 20 seconds; also pay attention to the "one punch, one foot and one inch" reading and writing posture, pay attention to the room with good lighting, balanced nutritional intake, and adequate sleep.
(Some respondents in this article are pseudonyms)