The latest film by Disney Pixar, Elio, follows the notable figure, a nice and ingenious youthful hero who dreams of finding a place where he really belongs. But among the color and chaos of the cosmic film there is one subtle detail: Elio wears a patch of eyes.
In the real world of eye slices are widely used to treat amblyopia or “slothful eye”, neurodevelopmental visual condition It was expected that by 2030 it would affect 175.2 million people. In amblyopia, the brain favors one eye above the other, which leads to a reduced vision in a weaker eye.
Treatment often covers the cover of a stronger eye of the patches, encouraging the brain to rely on the weaker eye and improve its function. This therapy is the most effective in early childhood and can take months of daily commitment.
However, despite the widespread visual conditions, a positive presentation of wearing patches is uncommon in popular media.
Animated films have long had childhood imagination, but historically characters with slices of eye or other visual markers often fall into negative stereotypes.
Think that the alter ego Barth in Toy Story or Dr. Blowhole Madagascar: Characters where a slice of eye signals wickedness. Meanwhile, glasses can be seen more often on older characters, such as Carl Fredrickson from UP or Roz from Monsters Inc.
Characters from Strabimus (unspoiled eyes), such as ED from the Lion king, are often depicted as non -intentions or clumsy. One last test It was found that guardism in animated children’s films is consistently associated with negative character traits – something that can strengthen the harmful mark.
These performances matter. The film plays a powerful role in shaping beliefs, especially for youthful children who develop identity, belonging and how to refer to others. When the visual conditions are stereotypical, this can strengthen the sense of embarrassment and difference.
For children wearing a patch, these feelings can lead to skipping days of treatment and worse results. However, an real, positive representation can build self -esteem, promote acceptance and provide related role models.
Subtle but powerful change
Fortunately, everything begins to change. In the recent Disney/Pixar films, we saw characters with glasses presented as vigorous, central characters: Encanto’s Mirabel, Turing Red’s Priya and Mei, and, for example, Honey lemon Massive Hero 6. These characters question venerable stereotypes and expand the narrative around the vision.
Elio continues progress. The patch of the youthful hero’s eyes is not the point of the story, nor is it used to symbolize fragility, villain or wisdom. It just exists – the tranquil part of his identity, not something to overcome.
This subtlety is powerful. In the case of children who wear patches, seeing how someone like Elio conducts a space mission, not moved to his visual condition, can be deeply confirmed.
Behind the screen Elio caused conversation and awareness. Prevent blindness She started a campaign around the film to raise public understanding of amblyopia and the importance of early detection. Ophthalmological organizations also used this film as an educational tool, while individuals shared their stories about patching and treatment in social media.
When amblyopia are recognized and treated early, patching can be extremely effective. But awareness is crucial, and therefore reduces the stigma that can discourage children from carrying their patches.
Childhood childhood studies
Although patching often restores the vision, it does not work for every child – and we still do not quite understand why. There is confined research on how patching affects the developing brain, and this lack of insight makes it hard to improve treatment.
Our research with Holly BridgeIN Vision group The leader at Oxford University is to change this. We examine how patching changes brain chemistry in youthful children.
Studies for adults Suggest that chemical changes in visual parts of the brain may be associated with patching results. To examine this in children, we conduct a study from five to eight -year -olds with amblyopia or a vigorous vision.
In our studyChildren with amblyopia receive a unthreatening, non -invasive scan before and after easier treatment. We also measure their vision with child -friendly tests. Then we compare these results with children with a vigorous vision that do not wear patches, helping us understand visual changes and brain development.
We hope that Elio means the beginning of a more integration story of a story in which the difference is not erased or exaggerated, but simply woven into the material and adventure material. Like Elio’s journey through space, the path to better understanding and representation of childhood visual conditions faced challenges.
Perhaps this is the launch we needed: towards better consciousness, better research and the future in which every child feels observable – on the screen and beyond.