Spent 8,000 RMB, yet my son's axial length still increased by 0.1mm

Spent 8,000 RMB, yet my son's axial length still increased by 0.1mm

Let go of anxiety, see the truth.

By Microstory
When a simple vision screening form lands in their hands, an invisible "battle for eyesight" begins in countless families.

From expensive "floor lamps" costing thousands of RMB, "flip trainers" for a few hundred RMB, to eye-protecting pills and expensive vision care classes that claim to "reverse myopia" — anxious parents try to build a protective dam with consumption.

On social media, reviews of these products are often polarized: some complain about "IQ tax" and "no change", while others share that "we keep using them and the度数 hasn't increased." Mixed with clever marketing rhetoric, parents frequently fall into traps.

This episode of Microstory tells the stories of several anxious mothers who invested time and money, yet stumbled on the path of myopia prevention. Their experiences mirror the anxiety shared by half of Chinese families.

As axial length data keeps climbing, we have to ask: Why can't expensive "magic tools" protect children's "hyperopia reserve"? How can parents navigate between rampant marketing and real science?

Here are their true stories:

10,000 RMB invested, 150 degrees of frustration

Looking back at Zhang Min's phone gallery over the past year, besides her 10-year-old son Xiaoyu's homework check-ins, the rest are screenshots of "eye care" related videos. A year ago, this full-time mother in Beijing's Chaoyang District received a school vision screening form and was instantly dragged into this smokeless "vision protection war."

The screening form showed Xiaoyu's uncorrected visual acuity dropped to 0.8, axial length 24.49mm, and the teacher advised timely intervention. Zhang Min wasn't entirely surprised; since her son entered primary school, she hadn't strictly managed his posture or screen time. Xiaoyu often stared at his phone for one or two hours, and on weekends he would cling to electronic devices, even refusing to go outside.

But Zhang Min still harbored a sense of luck — neither she nor her husband were nearsighted, so genetics shouldn't be an issue; children are still growing, occasional vision fluctuation is normal. "Just reduce near work and rest more," she thought. So she didn't plan to get glasses for her son despite the teacher's reminder.

However, the re-examination six months later sent her heart sinking: Xiaoyu's axial length had jumped to 24.7mm, and vision worsened further. A hospital optometry test showed Xiaoyu's myopia had reached -1.50D (150 degrees).

That night, anxious beyond measure, Zhang Min scrolled through Xiaohongshu, short video platforms, and e-commerce sites, consulting other parents' experiences. She immediately ordered a 158 RMB flip trainer and a 2,800 RMB imported floor lamp. Within six months, she also bought an anti-tilt head holder and a telephoto mirror, spending over 8,000 RMB in total.

In the following period, she strictly supervised Xiaoyu's use of these "magic tools" and forced correct visual habits: sitting straight while writing, maintaining fist-chest distance, 20-20-20 rule, no reading in dim light, strictly limiting screen time, and mandatory outdoor runs and sun exposure on weekends. She also actively answered other parents' questions in parent groups.

But at the most recent check-up, Xiaoyu's myopia remained at 150 degrees, while his axial length had quietly increased by another 0.1mm, reaching 24.75mm. According to the rule that "every 1mm increase in axial length corresponds to 250-300 degrees of myopia," Zhang Min finally realized that previous habits had already caused damage. Even after correcting habits and using protective products, she could only maintain the status quo — regaining hyperopia reserve was almost impossible.

If Zhang Min's anxiety came from "following trends despite doing homework," then Liu Fang, a mother from Shanghai, experienced the helplessness and guilt of "having money but no time." Liu Fang is a middle manager at a big tech company, filled with meetings and projects, often working late, leaving little time for her daughter Duoduo.

"Half of the 42 kids in our class wear glasses," Liu Fang said helplessly. Yet she cared deeply about her child's health. At a parent gathering, she heard discussions about eye care products and prevention methods, feeling both anxious and guilty. Unable to supervise her daughter's visual habits daily, she could only "buy peace of mind."

To compensate for lack of companionship, Liu Fang bought almost every popular eye care product mentioned in parent groups, spending nearly 10,000 RMB in just half a month. She had no time to research product usage, so she instructed the nanny to supervise Duoduo. She also enrolled her daughter in an expensive vision care class, thinking "professionals can protect my child's eyes."

But even with all the "magic tools," problems still emerged. Duoduo, 8, kept complaining about blurred blackboard vision and squinting. Liu Fang took time off for an eye exam, wondering, "I've spent so much money — why is there still a problem?" The exam showed Duoduo's visual acuity had dropped from 1.0 to 0.7, and axial length increased from 22.6mm to 22.9mm (close to the upper limit for her age), a rapid increase of 0.3mm in three months.

The doctor sternly told Liu Fang that the root cause was lack of parental supervision; the child used eye care products perfunctorily, combined with excessive near work. "After hearing the doctor, I was filled with guilt," Liu Fang said. "I knew some products had limited effects, but I bought them thinking 'trying can't hurt.' Now I understand that no amount of money or products can replace parental companionship and scientific supervision. I was only comforting myself."

Whether having time for detailed supervision or financial means to equip various prevention products, these parents ultimately failed to truly resolve their children's vision crises. Even worse off are those parents who remain completely unaware of myopia prevention — they blindly follow trends, waste money, and delay intervention, suffering even greater losses.

Chen Lin, a full-time mother from Dongguan, has a second-grade son named Lele. Lele's recent vision screening showed uncorrected acuity of only 0.8 and axial length of 22.5mm. Anxious, Chen Lin immediately consulted other parents and spent nearly 6,000 RMB within a month on 3,200 RMB prevention lenses, a 1,500 RMB eye massager, eye patches, and lutein supplements.

But after a month of fuss, not only did Lele's vision not improve, but he also became averse to the products and showed signs of厌学 and distraction. At the follow-up exam, his visual acuity dropped to 0.5, axial length increased to 22.8mm (a rapid increase of 0.3mm in one month, reaching a warning level). Chen Lin was full of regret: "I thought spending money would solve everything. Now I know that blind action is the most harmful."

Prevention myth? Or prevention lie?

The experiences of Zhang Min, Liu Fang, and Chen Lin are microcosms of countless parents on the myopia prevention path. According to the "2023 China Children and Adolescent Myopia Prevention and Control Trend Report" released by the National Health Commission in November 2023, the overall myopia rate among children and adolescents in China in 2022 was 51.9%, with 36.7% among primary school students, 71.4% among junior high students, and 81.2% among senior high students. In some urban primary schools, class myopia rates exceed 50%, meaning one in two children wears glasses.

More concerning is the rapid rise in high myopia (over -6.00D) among children and adolescents, which has become the leading cause of irreversible blindness in China. Such myopia can lead to retinal detachment, glaucoma, and other irreversible damage — the very source of anxiety for parents like Zhang Min, Liu Fang, and Chen Lin.

Anxiety drives action, but actions often end in pitfalls. These parents trapped on the front line of myopia control share a common dilemma: they lack professional knowledge to filter products, yet are bombarded with fragmented information. Eventually, they follow the "majority" choices, even when those choices are full of traps.

For example, the Yousiyi (U-SEE) product exposed by CCTV for complete fabrication (as reported by CCTV Finance in 2023). It was once the top-selling "imported eye care product" on e-commerce and short video platforms, priced at 434 RMB per bottle, selling over 6.3 million bottles and attracting more than 4 million consumers.

In reality, the claimed manufacturing address in Melbourne, Australia, turned out to be a car repair station; the actual manufacturer was Anhui Xianle Health Co., a domestic OEM. Moreover, the product lacked the national health food "blue hat" certification, and the so-called "Australian experts" were paid actors. Chen Lin was among the parents who bought it. "Those bottles of Yousiyi eye care pills cost me over a thousand RMB, only to find out they were fake. Not only did they not help, but they also made me mistakenly believe I had a safety net, so I relaxed my supervision of my son's visual habits."

Another case: the complaint against the "Weishi Vision Care Store" in Qingdao in July last year (reported by Qingdao Morning Post and other media). A parent reported that her daughter suffered permanent damage to her right eye after using the store's red-light therapy device (哺光仪). The merchant claimed that the device had a "myopia control rate of over 96%, safe with no side effects, and that users would never become nearsighted." With the child's binocular vision at 1.0 and normal fundus, the merchant induced the parent to sign a five-year lease, paying 21,800 RMB in rent, without disclosing any risks.

After five months of use, the child experienced blurred vision and central scotoma. Examinations at four tertiary hospitals, including Qingdao University Affiliated Hospital and Beijing Tongren Hospital, diagnosed "binocular refractive error and right macular retinopathy." Qingdao Eye Hospital explicitly noted that "the right macular changes cannot be ruled out as related to哺光仪 irradiation." Additionally, Liu Fang mentioned spending over 4,000 RMB on an "imported eye massager," which turned out to be produced by a small domestic workshop, merely labeled as imported, offering only temporary relief for dry eyes, with no effect on axial length or true myopia.

And the eye patches Zhang Min bought were also exposed as ordinary hydrogel patches containing no effective ingredients; some even lacked proper cosmetic备案 numbers, making them "three-no" products. Some parents reported allergic reactions like itching and redness after using "internet-famous eye patches," but merchants refused after-sales service, citing "individual differences."

Price differences for the same category are staggering. Take prevention lenses and red-light therapy devices: domestic basic prevention lenses cost as little as 1,399 RMB, while high-end customized international brands can cost up to 3,680 RMB — a difference of over 2,200 RMB. For red-light devices, non-medical-device versions cost only 1,199 RMB, while professional models with medical device certification exceed 9,000 RMB — a price gap of nearly 8,000 RMB.

The efficacy of these "myopia miracle products" and care services is unverified, but what is certain is that driven by anxiety, parents repeatedly spend money with a "better safe than sorry" attitude, falling into a vortex of blind following, while few truly understand the signals behind axial length data.

Let go of anxiety, see the truth

In this "battle for vision protection," countless anxious parents have stumbled like Zhang Min. Trapped by false advertising and herd mentality, they thought spending money would buy peace of mind. Yet they overlooked a core truth: there is no shortcut to myopia prevention — only science and persistence can protect children's "windows to the soul."

Avoiding pitfalls is the first step in scientific prevention. Mastering a few core criteria can help avoid most marketing traps targeting children's eyesight. First, any claim of "reversing true myopia" or "making axial length regress" is a complete scam. Dr. Yang Xiaohui, associate chief physician at Beijing Tongren Hospital affiliated with Capital Medical University, once pointed out that true myopia is essentially irreversible axial elongation of the eyeball, just as height cannot shrink after growth.

In other words, no product or method in the world can achieve "reversal." Even red-light therapy devices and prevention lenses that hold Class II medical device certification only aim to "control the rate of axial growth," not shorten already elongated axes. Zhang Min once saw a short video anchor claiming that a certain lutein product "made axial length regress 0.2mm in 3 months," using before-and-after visual acuity charts. Some product detail pages also use slogans like "miracle glasses remover,"混淆 "reversible pseudomyopia" with the irreversible nature of true myopia, inducing anxious parents to order.

In response, Professor Zeng Junwen, director of the Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center at Sun Yat-sen University, offers a simple and direct identification method: when faced with any product claiming to "reverse myopia," just ask, "Can you provide authoritative clinical data and medical device registration?" This will quickly expose the fraud. Second, parents need to learn the boundary between "ordinary products" and "medical devices." Before purchasing, check whether the product packaging includes a "Medical Device Registration Certificate" or "械注准"字样. Without such备案, no matter how much marketing claims "medical-grade" or "clinically validated," the product is only an ordinary item and cannot serve as a myopia prevention tool.

Prevention lenses and red-light therapy devices, which act directly on the eyes to control myopia progression, belong to Class II medical devices and must undergo rigorous clinical validation and备案 before market release. In contrast, eye patches, ordinary lutein supplements, and ordinary desk lamps can only relieve visual fatigue — they are daily necessities, not substitutes for正规 prevention methods, regardless of price.

Beyond that, parents need to adjust their mindset and accept that they don't have to be "perfect parents." Given current learning environments and lifestyle habits, myopia in children is fairly common. As long as axial growth is controlled and high myopia is avoided, excessive anxiety is unnecessary. Zhang Min later adjusted her mindset,不再追求 "restoring Xiaoyu's vision to 1.0," but focused on controlling axial length, which yielded better results.

Parents should not expect any single product or action to solve everything. As many ophthalmologists repeatedly emphasize in科普, myopia prevention has no quick fix; it is a long-term process requiring persistent effort from both parents and children. "Parents must also accept their own limitations — we can't all become ophthalmologists," Chen Lin said. After realizing that blind purchasing was useless, she不再 blindly consult parent groups but instead took Lele for regular hospital follow-ups, followed medical advice, and gradually slowed Lele's axial growth to just 0.1mm in three months, while visual acuity improved from 0.5 to 0.6, and the厌学 distraction completely resolved.

Liu Fang also reduced unnecessary spending on eye care products, reasonably balanced work and companionship, carved out one hour each day to supervise Duoduo's proper visual habits and eye exercises, and took her to parks and suburbs on weekends for sunshine. Duoduo's pseudomyopia has fully recovered, with uncorrected visual acuity back to 1.0, and she has gradually developed good visual habits.

When parents escape the information trap and let go of anxiety, they can truly protect their children's "windows to the soul." Allowing children to see both the knowledge in books and the distant scenery — this is the most desirable outcome of this "vision protection battle."