When did the “windows of the soul” become “frosted glass”?

Audit expert: Peng Guoqiu

Deputy Chief Physician, Fourth Medical Center, PLA General Hospital

Imagine this: you wake up in the morning and find that the alarm clock hasn't rung, and you're about to be late. You hurriedly pick up your mobile phone and wireless headphones from the table and go out. When you get on the subway and want to listen to music, you take out the headphones and find that there is a bar of soap in your pocket.

The noisy morning rush hour will be silent for you, and people's feet have built a castle.

Source: Xiaohongshu

We all like to watch high-definition videos, but myopia has installed "frosted glass" on the "windows of the soul", making it common to see people embarrassingly taking the wrong things.

1

Is myopia caused by the “metamorphosis” of the ciliary muscle?

At present, there are about 2.5 billion myopic people in the world, and as many as 600 million in China. It is predicted that by 2050, the number of myopic people in the world will reach 4.949 billion, with a prevalence rate of 52 %.

Our body is like a microcosm, the eye is like a cinema, and the ciliary muscle is the hard-working worker in the eye. The image is projected onto the screen (retina) through the lens (cornea and lens), and the ciliary muscle is responsible for stretching the lens according to the position of the object and helping the lens focus.

Source: Sohu

With the changes of the times, the workload of the ciliary muscle has greatly increased: reading novels in a dark place, staring at the computer or book pages, and browsing for a long time all keep the ciliary muscle in a "deformed" state. Over time, the ciliary muscle is like a balloon that has been inflated for a long time. It is difficult to return to its original appearance even after the air is deflated, so "frosted glass" is arranged.

Source: Sohu

2

Was myopia once a “disease of affluence”?

Do you think that myopia and electronic products have such a strong correlation, so it must have appeared in recent years? No no no, there were many cases of myopia in ancient times .

Due to the low literacy rate and low eye intensity in ancient times, those who had a chance of suffering from myopia were basically scholars, including many high-ranking officials and even kings, such as Bai Juyi, Sima Guang, Wang Anshi, Emperor Kangxi, etc.

Source: Forbidden City Taobao

In ancient times, glasses were called "叆叇(ài dài)". Before the Qing Dynasty, glasses were very expensive. In the Ming Dynasty, "a mirror was as expensive as a horse". In the Qing Dynasty, with the improvement of manufacturing technology, the price of glasses was also "brought down". "The most expensive pair of glasses was only 7 or 8 cents, and even 4 or 5 cents, or 2 or 3 cents a pair".

The Scroll of the Prosperous Scenery of the Southern Capital, painted by Qiu Ying in the Ming Dynasty

Source: "Nandu Prosperous Scenery Scroll"

Judging from how ancient people suffered from myopia and how to solve the problem of myopia, myopia can truly be considered a "disease of affluence".

3

How to avoid myopia?

The main causes of myopia are genetics and environment .

We can’t do anything about genetic problems, but we can try to adjust to environmental influences. If you don’t want to wear glasses, and don’t want to see the world as if it’s covered with a layer of “frosted glass”, then you should pay attention to the following points:

1. Remember the “20-20-20” rule

After 20 minutes of close-up use of your eyes, remember to look at something 20 feet away (6.096 meters), preferably for more than 20 seconds. Blink more often while looking into the distance. If you often forget to take a break when you are busy, you can set a small alarm to remind yourself.

2. Playing with your phone without turning off the lights

Many people are accustomed to using computers and mobile phones in a dark environment at night, but a dark environment is more likely to cause eyestrain, and using the phone before going to bed will keep the brain active and make it more difficult to fall asleep. It is better to play with the phone with the lights on.

3. Don’t sleep on your stomach during lunch break

Sleeping on your stomach will cause the eyeballs to be compressed, and temporary blurred vision will usually occur after a nap. Doing this for a long time will cause excessive intraocular pressure, which will eventually cause the eyeballs to swell, the eye axis to lengthen, and form myopia.

Use your eyes scientifically, take preventive measures, and intervene in time to keep the "windows of the soul" high-definition and avoid the embarrassment of mistaking soap for headphones.