The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) announced the results of the first survey of elementary and junior high school students on the length of the "eye depth" that indicates the progress of myopia, which makes it difficult to see distant objects.
It is said that the longer it is, the more myopia progresses, but it was found that the average length of sixth graders reached the average of adults, and experts point out that the progress of myopia is becoming more serious. increase.
The survey was conducted by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology last year on about 8,600 elementary and junior high school students in various regions in an attempt to understand the actual situation of vision loss in children.
Myopia is often caused by the lengthening of the eyeball and the focus in front of the retina, which senses brightness, color, and shape.
In general, it is suspected that myopia is suspected when the value of the visual acuity test decreases, but for the first time in this study, the eyeball from the cornea on the surface of the eye to the innermost retina, which is necessary for accurate examination, I checked the depth and the length of the "eye axis".
"Eye axis" length 6 small, about the same as an adult
The average length of the eye axis is about 24 mm for adults, but as a result of the survey,
▼ the average for sixth graders
is 24.22 mm for boys and 23.75 mm for girls, which is about the same as adults,
▼ In
the third year of junior high school,
▽ boys were 24.61 mm and ▽ girls were 24.18 mm, which were even longer.
In addition, the visual acuity of the naked eye was less than 1.0 in the visual acuity test, which was about 20% in the first grade of elementary school, but increased to about 60% in the third grade of junior high school, and about 30% was less than 0.3. rice field.
Professor Kyoko Ohno of Tokyo Medical & Dental University, who summarized the survey, said, "It seems that myopia has reached the average of adults in the upper grades of elementary school, and myopia is progressing at an early age. It is thought that there is a risk that it will be further extended in line with this. I would like to further analyze in the future how the increasing opportunities to see smartphones and tablet terminals due to the corona illness have an effect. "
In the medical field, some people point out that myopia is getting younger.
At the "Ochanomizu / Inoue Ophthalmology Clinic", an ophthalmology clinic in Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, where the "Pediatric Ophthalmology Outpatient Department" is located, 100 children visit the clinic every day on many days.
The number of children who receive medical examinations is increasing year by year, and last year, nearly 40% of them received medical examinations because of myopia or suspicion.
Myopia progresses as the time to look closer within 30 cm increases, so when an orthoptist looks at a child or guardian, ▽ when looking at a smartphone or tablet device, correct the posture and 30 cm. He told me to keep away from him, and to take a rest for 20 seconds or more once every 30 minutes.
The mother of a girl in the third grade of elementary school who visited the clinic said, "I use a tablet terminal in school classes and watch videos on my smartphone at home. I feel that my smartphone has been around since I was little and I'm using my eyes too much. I will. "
Dr. Masako Nagano of this clinic said, "The number of cases of myopia at a younger age than the current generation of parents is increasing, and some kindergarten children have myopia. There is also a risk of causing illness, so I want you to take your eyes off the screen and make it a habit to rest your eyes. "
Children's eyesight continues to decline for more than 40 years
Children's eyesight has been declining for more than 40 years since we started collecting statistics in 1979.
According to the "School Health Statistics Survey" conducted by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology every year for national, public and private kindergartens, elementary and junior high schools and high schools, the percentage of children with bare-eye eyesight of less than 1.0 in the eyesight test is Started collecting statistics ▽ In 1979, it was 17.91% for
elementary school students, 35.19% for junior high school students, and 53.02% for high school students.
However, 10 years later, in 1989, it was 20.60% for elementary school students,
40.90
% for junior high school students, and 55.81% for high
school students. My eyesight continued to decline.
Furthermore, in 2009, it was
29.71% for elementary school students, 52.54% for junior high school students, and 59.37% for high school
students
. ,
High school students account for 63.17%.
2050 It is expected that about half of the world's population will be myopia. What are the measures taken by each country?
Myopia is increasing rapidly around the world, especially in Asia, and research groups such as Australia estimate that by 2050, about half of the world's population, or about 4.8 billion people, will be myopia. ..
WHO = The World Health Organization also states that there are serious public health concerns, and various measures are being taken around the world.
Myopia caused by the extension of the length of the eye axis is said to progress when the time to look near within 30 cm becomes longer, and the American Ophthalmology Society said that after 20 minutes of continuous looking near, ▽ 20 feet, about We recommend the "20-20-20" rule of looking at objects 6 meters or more away for 20 seconds.
Furthermore, in recent years, it has been found that the progression of myopia can be suppressed by working outdoors for about 2 hours a day and being exposed to sufficient light. As a result of being exposed to light outdoors, the percentage of elementary school students with a visual acuity of less than 0.8 has decreased by more than 5%.
Expert "Look out the window and take a break Go out and soak up the sun"
Professor Kyoko Ohno of Tokyo Medical & Dental University said, "If myopia progresses further, the risk of causing eye diseases such as glaucoma and fundus hemorrhage increases, which may lead to blindness. In recent years, smartphones and mobile games have become widespread. It has been pointed out that children's myopia is increasing all over the world due to the decrease in the chances of going out due to the corona illness. It's important to take a break to see, go out and get in the sun during lunch breaks and physical education. Also, when doing homework at home, be careful about the distance between your eyes and books, especially at night. It is important for children to be aware of measures such as lying down and stopping looking at their smartphones. "