Investigation of children’s habits of smartphone usage and parental awareness of myopia control in underdeveloped areas of China

AIM: To investigate the behaviors of smartphone usage and parental knowledge of vision health among primary students in the rural areas of China. METHODS: In this school-based, cross-sectional study, a total of 52 606 parents of students from 30 primary schools in the Xingguo County were investigated through an online questionnaire from July 2020 to August 2020. The self-designed questionnaire contained three parts: the demographic factors of both children and parents, parental knowledge and attitude toward myopia, and the preventive treatment of myopia.RESULTS: A total of 52 485 appropriately answered questionnaires were received, showing an effective response rate of 95.1%. The average age of the primary students was 10.1±0.98 y and the prevalence of myopia among the primary students was 40.3%. The age of myopia occurrence in elementary students was significantly correlated with the parents’ educational level(95%CI: 0.82-0.98, P=0.013), children’s gender(95%CI: 1.08-1.20, P<0.001), school location(county or countryside)(95%CI: 0.59-0.66, P<0.001), children’s smartphone ownership(95%CI: 1.09-1.26, P<0.001), and the average time spent on smartphone per day(95%CI: 0.78-0.88, P<0.001). School location in the county town, high family income, and high parents’educational level significantly affected both parents’ myopia awareness and children’s vision-threatening behaviors(P<0.01). Left-behind children showed a higher incidence of vision-threatening habits than those who lived with their parents(P<0.01).CONCLUSION: The results reveal the current situation of myopia development among rural primary school students and their parents. This survey will serve as a guidance for designing myopic prevention policies in the rural areas of China.

Transitions of the Understanding and Definition of Primary Glaucoma

Objective:In previous decades,glaucoma has been primarily attributed to elevated intraocular pressure (IOP),but this has gradually been replaced by the development of optic neuropathy as the central concept of glaucoma in developed countries.However,there still remain strong controversies in the definition of glaucoma in China.In this current review,we are going to discuss these controversies and elaborate on the historical transitions of the definition of glaucoma both in China and developed countries.Furthermore,we will briefly describe the "ocular-cranial pressure gradient"theory and discuss the relationship between glaucoma and degenerative diseases of the central nervous system (CNS)in order to show the complex pathogenesis of glaucoma and the importance for the modification to the definition of glaucoma. Data Sources:We performed a comprehensive search in both PubMed and SinoMed using the following keywords:(a)"primary glaucoma"and "guideline,"(b)"ocular-cranial pressure gradient,"and (c)"glaucoma,""Alzheimer's disease,"and "Parkinson's disease." The literature search included the related articles with no restrictions on publication date. Study Selection:The primary references were Chinese and English articles including (a)original guidelines and expert consensuses of primary glaucoma,(b)reviews focusing on the differences between various versions of these guidelines and consensuses,and (c)papers about ocular-cranial pressure gradient theory and the relationship between glaucoma and CNS degenerative diseases. Results:The definitions and classifications of both primary open-angle glaucoma and primary angle-closure glaucoma differ between Chinese glaucoma consensuses and international primary glaucoma guidelines.Chinese definitions and classifications put more emphasis on the IOP,while international guidelines put more emphasis on the presence of optic neuropathy.The ocular-cranial pressure gradient theory and the research on the relationship between glaucoma and CNS degenerative diseases have provided new directions for exploring the pathogenesis of glaucoma. Conclusions:As regards the definition and classification of primary glaucoma,we find that there are still some discrepancies between Chinese expert consensuses and international guidelines.Glaucoma is a disease with complex etiologies,while its common characteristic is a specific optic neuropathy.The current definition and understanding of glaucoma is an ongoing and evolving process,reflecting our latest available evidence on its pathogenesis.Chinese ophthalmology community may need to update our guidelines,accommodating these latest developments.