After becoming schoolchildren, children begin to study for 5-6 hours every day: they write, read, and draw. Therefore, due to the increased load on the accommodative apparatus and the active growth of the eye, the occurrence of physiological myopia at the age of 8-14 years is natural. In addition, the child often sits incorrectly during classes, hunched over or with his head tilted excessively, and with prolonged tilting of the head, the outflow of blood from the eyes becomes difficult. All these factors can lead to myopia.
Visual impairment negatively affects academic performance, lowers a child's self-esteem, restricts him in communicating with peers, choosing a sport and a future profession.
So what should parents of a first-grader pay attention to in order to preserve good eyesight for as long as possible?
It is very important to properly organize a child's workplace. Parents should remember that from the first days of school life, the eyes and spine have been under tremendous strain. Therefore, first of all, a table and chair suitable for height are needed, because if a child writes at an adult table, sitting on an adult chair, when the table top is at chin level, shoulders above the ears, and the child "writes with his nose", it is impossible to maintain eye and spine health.
We all remember from childhood how we were told "don't read in the dark." Indeed, proper lighting is very important for maintaining eye health. If possible, beginning students should try to do their homework during daylight hours, even in winter. If the child is engaged in artificial lighting, then a table lamp is needed. For right–handers, the light should fall from the left, for left-handers - from the right. Use a regular 60W lamp, preferably with warm light. To avoid light contrast, it is important that the rest of the child's room is also illuminated, and it is better to use diffused light rather than overhead light. Halogen bulbs are very bright and are not suitable for a nursery, fluorescent lamps give an invisible flicker to the naked eye, which quickly tires the eyes.
Do not place the table where your child will be studying directly in front of the window, as the rays of the sun reflecting off the surface of the table or the glossy covers of books and notebooks will create additional strain on the eyes. In addition, the child may be distracted by what is happening outside the window. If possible, position the table sideways to the window, depending on whether your child is right-handed or left-handed.
When a child writes or reads, his eyes should be at a distance of the length of his forearm and the palm of his hand to the surface of the table (a sheet of a book, a notebook), with his elbow placed on the tabletop. On average, this distance is about 30-35 cm, which is sufficient to prevent excessive strain on the accommodative apparatus of the eye. It is better to put the book on a stand – this relieves the load from the cervical spine. The duration of classes for first graders is very important. The total duration is no more than 1 hour, with active breaks every 15-20 minutes. And do not forget that a child needs to be outdoors for at least 3 hours every day in any weather, because it has been proven that the best prevention of the development of myopia, in addition to a rational visual regime, is physical activity and sunlight.
Pay attention to which notebooks you buy for your first-grader. The paper should be strong enough and opaque, milky-matte. Very white paper will "hurt" the eyes, and on yellowish and gray pages the text will be pale, and you will have to strain your eyes when reading what is written. The paper should be such that the inscriptions on the back do not show through. Therefore, the paper weight should be at least 55-60 g/m2. The thickness of the lines in the notebook is 0.2-0.5 mm. It is better that the lines are purple, green, blue or gray, clearly printed and of uniform width. The horizontal lines on adjacent pages must match. The alignment should not be very bright or, conversely, not contrasting – this has a bad effect on vision.
When buying books, you should pay attention to the font. The font size for children under 6 years of age should be from 20 to 14 points (Latin up to 16 points), at 7-10 years of age – from 12 to 20 points (Latin 14 points). The font design of the main text in books for children under 10 years of age should be the same throughout the book. Texts where light letters are placed on a colored or black background are strictly not recommended for children's eyes.
And of course, one cannot ignore the main factor in the increase in the number of children with myopia these days – the computer, as well as other electronic devices that have become widespread in our lives.
Decide if your 6-7-year-old needs a computer at all. Although it is difficult to imagine modern education without a computer, a first-grader will most likely not use it often to solve school problems. It's up to you to put the computer in the room or not. If you do install a computer in the child's room, then you need to place it so that the distance between the eye and the monitor is at least 50-70 cm (for guidance, this is an outstretched arm).
Smartphones and tablets are equally or even more harmful to the eyes, meaning the smaller the screen, the greater the strain on your child's eyes. According to foreign ophthalmologists, since smartphones entered the market in 1997, the number of patients with myopia has increased by 35%. In the next 10 years, the number of children with myopia may increase by 50%. Look around, observe yourself and your child – we hold the phone at a distance of only 18-30 cm from the eyes, and newspapers and books at 40 cm, so today ophthalmologists can talk about myopia caused by using mobile devices with monitors.
It is necessary to strictly limit the time of smartphone use by children. It is important to ensure that children of preschool and primary school age do not use smartphones at all for games, watching cartoons, etc. The modern generation of children is at a special risk of developing myopia.
This simple prevention of incorrect visual habits in children will help you raise a healthy child.
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