Myopia Management

Reducing the chance of developing myopia Having family members who are short-sighted is a strong risk factor. While we can’t do anything about our genetics, there are simple steps you can take to reduce the chance of your child becoming short-sighted. Increase the amount of time spent outside each day. The brightness of natural light is thought to limit the rate of myopia progression. An average of 90 minutes a day is a good target. This can be spread through the week allowing you to “top up” at the weekend. Limit screen time, and other close work (over and above school work) to two hours per day. This includes computers, tablets, smart phones, hand-held computer games, as well as drawing and reading. Try and hold close tasks as far away as is comfortable, avoiding the temptation to hold things very close. Take vitamin D. There is some evidence that taking a vitamin D supplement can slow the establishment of myopia.While this evidence is limited as to the effects this will have on reducing myopia it is understood that everyone in Scotland is at risk of not getting enough vitamin D so this may be good advice anyway Regular eye examinations. All children should have their eyes examined every two years from pre-school, however if you notice any changes in your child’s vision, make an appointment as soon as possible. Signs that they need to see an optometrist include noticing them squinting at the TV, complaining of headaches, difficulty reading or problems with coordination or concentration. Myopic children can be unaware that they are not seeing as well as they could be presuming their vision is the same as everyone elses. Myopia generally starts after the age of pre-school vision screening so even if you have had this assessment you should consider bringing your child in for an eye examination before their fifth birthday. Start early. The earlier in life these steps are taken, the best chance they have of making a difference. Take these steps from the outset and you are reducing your child’s chance of becoming short-sighted. Myopia Management. If your child is short-sighted Myopia Management contact lenses would be worth considering. The lenses slow the progression of short-sightedness, meaning when they reach adulthood they will have a lower a prescription than without the lenses. Download Myopia Management information

Myopia is the medical term for short- sightedness, when the eyeball is too long or too powerful. The result is that light coming into the eye does not focus directly on the retina (the light sensitive layer at the back of the eye), but instead falls in front of it, causing objects in the distance to look blurred. Myopia is traditionally corrected by wearing spectacles or contact lenses. As the eye grows, a person typically becomes more myopic and the power of their spectacle or contact lens prescription increases. Myopia is expected to affect 50% of the world population by 2050. In the UK, the amount of myopia has increased from affecting 10% to 23% of children in the past 50 years. Does myopia get worse during childhood? Yes. Generally, once you have myopia, your spectacle prescription gets greater over time, in particular during childhood as the eye grows. The key years of change in myopia are between six and 17 years old with the largest change in prescription typically happening at around age seven to eight years and changes getting less as you get older. Generally, myopic children wearing traditional glasses or contact lenses will continue to increase in myopia by approximately 0.50 to 1.00 DS (units of measurement) per year. We can use these figures to calculate what we expect a child’s prescription level to be by the time they are in their late teens when change generally starts to slow or stop. Many people develop myopia later in life, however if a child develops myopia, they are at risk of their vision deteriorating much more quickly and for many more years leading to a higher eventual prescription. Why are higher levels of myopia 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 (over -6.00DS) are 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. This website My Kid’s Vision is a free online tool that helps parents assess and manage myopia risks for their children. The most accurate assessment will, of course, be performed by your optometrist. A comprehensive guide to Myopia Management with research on the findings, can be downloaded here – Myopia Management information.