Ms. Nguyen Thu Trang (Go Vap district, Ho Chi Minh City) has a child about to enter first grade. Because she was worried about the child's vision health, she took her child for an eye examination. At Ho Chi Minh City Eye Hospital , the baby was diagnosed with mild myopia of 0.25 diopters and needed to be carefully monitored.
"Since taking my child home from the doctor, I often remind him when I see him using electronic devices for a long time or reading books too close. At the same time, I also pay more attention to supplementing foods that are good for his eyes. of your child, in the hope that your child's eyesight will improve," Ms. Thu Trang shared.
Regarding the issue of nutritional health for Vietnamese children's eyes, on August 23, the Central Health Education and Communication Center (Ministry of Health), Central Eye Hospital, and International Dairy Joint Stock Company LOF organized "Scientific Workshop to improve understanding of nutrition to protect the eyes of Vietnamese children".
According to Associate Professor, Dr. Pham Ngoc Dong - Deputy Director of Management and Operations of the Central Eye Hospital, the number of children detected with refractive errors is now increasing compared to before because parents are starting to pay attention. and proactively take your child to the doctor. Common diseases include nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism. In which, farsightedness and astigmatism are congenital diseases, but myopia has many factors, especially during the COVID-19 epidemic, the number of children with myopia increased due to staying at home and using many electronic devices.
One of the causes of nearsightedness is blue light. Blue light comes from many different sources, such as electronic devices. According to many studies, children's eyes absorb more blue light than adults. Exposure to too much blue light can cause eye strain, dry eyes, blurred vision, and affect vision development, including nearsightedness.
Experts say that in addition to factors affecting light and living environment, many parents have recently begun to pay attention to eye nutrition.
According to Dr. Truong Hong Son - Deputy General Secretary of the Vietnam Medical Association, Director of the Vietnam Institute of Applied Medicine, nutrients such as Lutein and Zeaxanthin are considered "assistants" to enhance vision, along with Vitamin A – the most essential nutrient for the eyes.
Lutein and Zeaxanthin play an important role in creating a yellow color for the macula of the retina, helping to capture and clarify images, responsible for up to 90% of vision. These two nutrients are found most in dark green vegetables and yellow and red fruits. In addition, supplementing foods containing vitamin A is also necessary for maintaining the light-sensing cells of the eyes, helping to keep the eyes bright and healthy. The visual development of children under six years old is very important and needs additional eye nutrients. This is the golden period when it is necessary to protect and supplement nutrition for children's eyes.
