Eye Specialist Links Vision Decline in Students to Prolonged Near Work

Ophthalmologist Professor Igor Aznaurian has identified a direct link between intensified near-vision activity in schools and acute visual acuity decline among students. According to Aznaurian, children’s eyes undergo physiological adaptation to new environmental conditions and sustained visual strain from focusing on close objects — such as textbooks, notebooks, or smartphones.

How “school myopia” develops over time

Aznaurian explains that when a child fixes their gaze on nearby material for extended periods, the eyeball gradually elongates to conserve energy required for precise visual focus. This process is clinically termed “school myopia.” He stresses that this adaptation does not occur suddenly but unfolds progressively over several years. As a result, first-graders — whose academic workload has not yet peaked — exhibit comparatively milder vision deterioration. Visual complications begin emerging once daily near-work duration crosses a critical threshold.

Diagnosis patterns and prevalence rates

Aznaurian notes that myopia is most frequently diagnosed in school-aged children aged seven to nine years. By this stage, both eyeballs have already adapted to persistent visual stress, and cumulative effects become objectively detectable during clinical examination. By the time students reach eighth grade, more than 50 percent present with some degree of myopia.

Delayed medical consultation and early warning signs

The professor observes that parents typically seek medical care only after myopia has advanced to a severe stage. Prior to that point, symptoms are often misattributed to ordinary fatigue. Aznaurian lists several observable indicators of deteriorating vision in schoolchildren: squinting while viewing road signs or bus numbers, marked forward bending during book reading, recurrent evening headaches, and subjective sensations of grittiness or sand-like discomfort in the eyes.