Catch the Distress Signals from Your Child's Eyes – Don't Let "Pseudo" Myopia Become Permanent!

"Mom, I think I can't see clearly!"

This is a sentence every parent dreads hearing. You might rush your child to the optical store in a panic. The test result comes back: "Oh no, it's myopia! Need glasses!" The staff immediately starts recommending various lenses...

Hold on! Don't reach for your wallet just yet.

We must tell you a fact that might颠覆 your understanding: The "cliff-edge" decline in eyesight during winter break is very likely not true myopia, but a "vision scam" cooked up by the holidays – Pseudo-myopia.

What is pseudo-myopia?

How is it different from true myopia?

01

To explain this clearly, let's first think of the eye as a sophisticated DSLR camera:

Cornea + Crystalline Lens = The Lens: Responsible for focusing light.

Ciliary Muscle = The Autofocus Motor: Contracts when looking at near objects, relaxes when looking at the distance.

Axial Length = The Camera Body Length: This is the key factor determining whether true myopia develops.

Q: What happens during winter break?

Children spend long hours watching short videos, playing games, and doing homework – all activities are done at close range. The ciliary muscle is like a spring held tight, constantly contracted. Over time, it goes into "spasm" and can no longer relax.

The result: When the child tries to look at the distance, this "autofocus motor" has malfunctioned. It cannot relax, causing distant objects to appear blurry.

This is medically termed accommodative myopia, commonly known as pseudo-myopia or false myopia.

Q: What is the essential difference between pseudo-myopia and true myopia?

Pseudo-myopia: It's a spasm of the ciliary muscle, but the axial length is normal. It's functional and reversible. With adequate rest, it can recover to a certain extent within weeks or 1-2 months. It's a temporary, reversible myopic state, not a permanent structural change of the eyeball.

True myopia: It's the elongation of the axial length, causing the focal point of light to land stubbornly in front of the retina. True myopia is an organic change. Once formed, it's difficult to reverse through intervention.

In a nutshell: Pseudo-myopia is "earned from eye strain," true myopia is "grown" from axial elongation.

The "Guidelines for Myopia Prevention and Treatment (2024 Edition)" issued by China's National Health Commission clearly states that accommodative myopia (pseudo-myopia) is a temporary vision decrease caused by accommodative spasm, fundamentally different from true myopia caused by axial elongation. Without timely intervention, chronic accommodative spasm may promote axial elongation, accelerating the progression to true myopia.

Why is the end of winter break particularly important?

02

Let's delve into the three main culprits behind the "cliff-edge" decline in eyesight during winter break.

× Culprit 1: "Revenge" Use of Electronic Devices

With no time to play during school, kids binge during the break. Online classes, games, short videos – a non-stop rotation – significantly increasing the duration of near work.

The principle is simple: Looking at near objects keeps the ciliary muscle constantly tense. The closer the distance and the longer the time, the more fatigued the muscle becomes.

× Culprit 2: "Cliff-Edge" Drop in Outdoor Activities

Cold winter weather, visiting relatives and friends during Spring Festival, various indoor entertainments – children barely see the sun.

Scientific research confirms: Sunlight stimulates the retina to release dopamine, and dopamine acts as a "natural barrier" inhibiting axial elongation. Lack of outdoor activity means losing the most effective protection against myopia.

× Culprit 3: Disrupted Routines, Eyes "Overtime Without Rest"

Staying up late for New Year's Eve, secretly playing on phones before bed, watching tablets under the covers...

The eyes are tired during the day and have to "work overtime" at night. Visual fatigue accumulates, and the ciliary muscle gets no time to relax and recover.

Q: What happens when these three culprits combine?

At this point, the ciliary muscle is at its peak fatigue, causing the most blurred vision. However, it's also the last chance to help the muscle relax through intervention.

If no intervention is made now, plus the increased visual demands after school starts – homework, online classes, reading – with prolonged near work every day, the spasmed ciliary muscle will gradually "solidify," forcing the axial length to elongate.

The progression from pseudo-myopia → mixed myopia → true myopia, once completed, can never be reversed.

The end of winter break is the "reversible moment" for your child's vision. Seizing it means saving your child's future clear eyesight.

How to distinguish true vs. false? Professional examination is the key.

03

We must emphasize: Routine vision screening and standard automated refraction CANNOT distinguish between true and false myopia! The reading obtained under a tense state includes the "pseudo component" and is often overestimated.

The internationally recognized gold standard for pediatric refraction is: Professional Cycloplegic Refraction. Eye drops are used to temporarily "force" the spasmed ciliary muscle to relax, allowing measurement of the true, static refractive error. This is the reliable method to differentiate between true and false myopia.

Additionally, axial length measurement is a core indicator for assessing myopia progression. It allows for earlier and more scientific prediction and warning of myopia development trends.

At Ren Shu (Tree Medical), we bring together a team of experienced ophthalmologists and professional optometrists. Based on precise assessment, we establish personalized refractive development records for children, provide scientifically sound and rigorous vision correction plans, and pave the way for children's healthy vision development through long-term, systematic follow-up.

If diagnosed with pseudo-myopia – congratulations! This means there's still a chance to reverse it. Under a doctor's guidance, medication, vision training, or behavioral interventions can help restore the elasticity of the ciliary muscle.

If diagnosed with mixed or true myopia – don't lose heart either. Scientific methods like Orthokeratology (OK lenses) or defocus lenses can effectively slow down the progression of myopia.

The most important thing is to act quickly!

As a parent, seeing your child's vision decline is distressing.

But instead of anxiously scolding, "Stop playing on your phone!",

seize this golden window of opportunity for your child's vision.

Take your child for a professional eye examination.

Only by understanding the real cause can you know the next step.

Don't let a moment of negligence end in a lifetime of blur.