Edinburgh eye care specialists

When Anna and Chloe came to the practice in 2019, Anna was already short-sighted, using standard glasses to correct her vision. She had tried wearing soft contact lenses but found them tricky to handle, so her myopia was progressing as would be expected when the condition is left. Her sister, Chloe, showed initial signs of myopia and with a family history of high levels of myopia, we advised their parents that myopia management could reduce the risk of the imminent progression.  Why was this a problem?  A higher prescription is not only an inconvenience causing poorer vision without glasses or contact lenses but all myopia, and especially higher prescriptions, is linked to an increased risk of developing eye diseases such as glaucoma, retinal detachment, myopic macular degeneration and cataract in later life. Each dioptre increase in myopia results in 67% increased risk of myopic macular degeneration. Myopia management aims to slow down the progression of myopia (short-sightedness) in children and young adults through lifestyle changes, the use of specialised contact lenses and specially designed spectacle lenses. It is unlikely that myopia management will stop the progression of myopia completely. Specialised lenses Anna tried myopia management soft contact lenses, but found putting them in too difficult. So when myopia management spectacle lenses were introduced in 2021 we suggested them to her. Chloe started to become myopic around the same time, so both girls were dispensed myopia management spectacle lenses. Whilst the glasses look exactly as they would with standard lenses, these lenses slow the progression of myopia by up to 60%. The statistics on the glasses lenses were strong, so we were keen to see the results for ourselves with our own patients.  So far, so good  Now with almost two years worth of data under our belts, we see that their myopic progression has slowed dramatically. They're actually going down the centiles when we measure axial length (length of the eye) which shows the glasses are working very well. Left untreated, the expectation is that every year a child’s short-sightedness will get worse. If they first showed signs of myopia when they were 10, we might expect it to deteriorate by half to one diopter each year, which means by the time they reach adulthood, they could have a prescription of -4 to -8, medium to high levels.  Unsurprisingly, the family is delighted. With a parent with a high prescription, having the ability to reduce the rate of myopia in future generations is something they could never have imagined would be possible. For those of us who grew up in the 80’s and 90’s, there was no option but to let levels of myopia progress naturally. Now there is an option to halt that trend. Many, understandably, don’t know about the numerous options available now, including soft lenses, overnight lenses, and spectacle lenses. For further information, please visit our website cameronoptom.com/myopia and if you would like to explore this further, please book an appointment with one of our optometrists by calling 0131 225 2235.

Eyesight is not often given a lot of space in parenting manuals and, unless there is something really obviously wrong, a lot of issues may understandably go unnoticed. We have written a guide on the stages of eye development, most importantly what to look out for and when to visit an optometrist. The practice provides the most comprehensive eye examinations completely free of charge for all children from birth. As with every stage of development, children reach milestones at different ages and this is only a guide. Newborn to 12 months Newborns are only able to differentiate between light and dark, but by the time they are around a month old large shapes and bright colours begin to attract their attention, often more so than faces. At around three months, they will start to focus and follow objects and you should notice their eyes starting to work together. From six months, they will start to learn depth perception, how far an object is away from them, and they will use this newfound skill to pull themselves up on objects. ! Watch out for significant delays in tracking or locating objects, as well as eyes not working together. Pupils appearing white is also a warning sign of a serious condition so shouldn’t be ignored. Toddler and pre-school years This is when children should be developing their fine motor skills – being able to play with age-appropriate toys like stacking toys and simple puzzles. They may also be able to recognise pictures and begin to identify shapes and colours.  ! Watch out for any issues controlling movements e.g. hands and fingers. All children should have their eyes examined by an optometrist from their pre-school year, however little ones can go to the optometrist from birth if you have any concerns. Pre-school and early primary years This stage is about continuing to successfully feed information to the brain, which might include starting to read, following words across the page. It is also when depth perception is further developed, which is evident when playing catch for instance, as well as being able to navigate around objects such as furniture when running around.  ! Watch out for any signs of misaligned eyes (cross eyes, a squint or a ‘lazy’ eye) as this needs to be rectified while the eyes are still developing. Middle primary school This is when issues with reading may become apparent and in some instances your optometrist may be able to help. If your child is a reluctant reader, finds reading uncomfortable and/or struggles to follow text, they may well benefit from seeing a vision therapist to help them better connect the brain and the eyes. Many children start life longsighted, and possibly with slight astigmatism. Most grow out of this with their eyes settling around seven or eight years old. Glasses may be prescribed to manage and hopefully reverse any issues.  ! Watch out for any issues learning at school that might be a sign there are issues with their vision e.g. reading, writing and recognising numbers. Nine years+ The most common eye issues at this age are long and shortsightedness. Longsight (hyperopia): In some cases your child’s vision won’t improve and they will continue to wear glasses to correct their longsight. Children of this age manage well with contact lenses so these would be worth exploring if they are reluctant to wear glasses, or play sports which makes wearing glasses difficult.  Shortsight (myopia):This is more of a concern as it needs to be managed in a specific way. If children are prescribed with standard glasses, their shortsightedness will often decline, meaning when they reach adulthood their eyesight is poor and the chance of them developing serious eye conditions increases significantly. Specialist contact lenses and glasses lenses slow the progression to make every effort to ensure this doesn’t happen, this is called Myopia Management – you can find out more about it at cameronoptom.com/myopia.  ! Watch out for a change in your child’s vision, perhaps sitting closer to the TV, struggling to read the board at school, complaining of headaches, screwing up their eyes to see something. If you have any concerns about your child’s vision, or they are due their annual eye examination, please book them in.  Call us on 0131 225 2235

Many children welcome the news that they need to wear glasses. A cool new accessory or something to make them look grown up. However a small number are devastated by the news. It was quite an eye opener last week to hear a mum say her son went home in tears at the news that they needed glasses. Why? Because he knew when he made it into school in his new frames – even the stylish Nike frames he picked- that a string of name-calling would follow. How sad.  This particular child is short-sighted, meaning wearing special myopia management glasses will slow the deterioration of their vision and reduce the chance of him developing serious eye conditions in later life. He needs to wear them. They are a medical device. Thankfully for this particular child, contact lenses are also an option so it may be we go down that route, but it just highlights the impact that that age-old ‘speccy four-eyes’ comment can have on a child’s future eye health. So, we end with a small plea to grownups, please help us educate children that glasses are a necessity for many and should not be a source of ridicule. After all, it’s cool to be kind.  Please let us know if your child is struggling to adapt to their new glasses, for whatever reason. We will do our very best to assist. And if you'd like to chat about options for contact lenses, just drop us an email vision@cameronoptom.com or give us a call 0131 225 2235.