At the launch of the Dong Do Center for Pediatric Ophthalmology & Nearsightedness Control - Eyeglasses, under Dong Do Hospital, MSc. Dr. Dinh Thi Phuong Thuy - Executive Director of Dong Do Hospital - said: The rate of refractive errors in children in Vietnam is on the rise, especially in major cities. If not detected and treated promptly, many children may face the risk of amblyopia and permanent vision loss.
Children can suffer from many eye diseases, from common refractive errors such as nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism to more complex diseases such as amblyopia, strabismus or congenital glaucoma.
Many children suffer from conjunctivitis, congenital cataracts or nystagmus - a condition in which the eyes move uncontrollably, which can cause serious damage to visual function if not intervened early," MSc. Dr. Dinh Thi Phuong Thuy emphasized.
According to the Ministry of Health, there are currently about 5 million children nationwide with refractive errors, equivalent to 30-40% of school-age children. Among these, nearsightedness accounts for the highest proportion. In Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City alone, many surveys show that more than half of students have refractive errors, reflecting the trend of increasingly younger and rapidly increasing nearsightedness in recent years.
MSc. Dr. Dinh Thi Phuong Thuy is worried that many parents still think that refractive errors only require wearing glasses to be enough. In fact, if children are not detected early and treated properly, this condition can lead to amblyopia - also known as "lazy eye". Currently, amblyopia accounts for about 1-5% in children under 6 years old, equivalent to 100,000 to 500,000 cases nationwide, and is the leading cause of long-term vision loss if missed the "golden stage" of treatment.
In addition, about 2-4% of children, equivalent to 200,000-400,000 cases, suffer from strabismus. If not intervened in time, children are not only at risk of amblyopia but also suffer from many visual dysfunctions of both eyes, affecting the learning process and future development.
