What is myopia and why all the fuss?
Myopia, (short-sightedness or near-sightedness) is a common vision condition that causes distance objects to appear blurred whilst near objects are clear. This occurs either because the eye is too long or the front of the eye, (the cornea) is too steeply curved. Once myopia starts, it frequently progresses.
Myopia due to long eyeball length has become more common since World War II and more rapidly so in this century. When I was in primary school in the 1970s I was the only child in my class wearing spectacles. Your child’s class photo tells a different story today. More children are becoming myopic and their myopia is becoming larger. This means their eyeballs are longer and their spectacle lenses need to be stronger. The longer the eye, the greater the chance of developing a sight threatening condition such as retinal detachment or glaucoma. As life has become more urbanized, we are spending more time inside doing close work. I am very grateful I don’t have to take the family laundry down to the Avon River to wash, or hunt for my supper, but my eyeballs may be better off if I did!
So, what are the risks of developing myopia? Like most things, it’s down to genetics and environment. If a parent is myopic, their child has a higher chance of developing myopia. If you have East or South-East Asian ethnicity you are more likely to develop myopia even if you do not live in Asia. Your age also has an impact. The younger myopia develops, the higher the chance the adult eye will be longer and more myopic. 50% of myopes are stable by the age of 15-16 years. How the two eyes work as a team may also play a role in some cases. Less time spent outside and more time on close work also plays a significant role. For families with no genetic or ethnic risk of myopia, there is still an environmental risk. Your child is a child of today’s society and that carries a burden in terms of myopia.
Whether your child is myopic or not, aim to have them experience at least two hours of outside time a day. Just remember to slip, slop, slap and wrap! Set a time limit for close work, (of any sort). Devices by themselves do not cause myopia but the time spent on them and the distance that they are held are risks for myopia development. You may think you will only spend 5 minutes doom scrolling, but an hour can pass before you know it. The younger your child is exposed to excessive close work, the higher the risk. If your child develops myopia there are various methods to slow the progression down but not stop progression entirely. Low dose atropine eyedrops, myopia control spectacle lenses, myopia control daily disposable soft contact lenses and OrthoK contact lenses worn at night have been studied extensively, all carry different benefits and risks, and have (more or less) the same effectiveness.
Recent research shows that some children progress more rapidly than others and may continue to progress rapidly despite our best efforts. On the flip side, some children hardly progress. Myopia control research is an evolving area and one I find endlessly fascinating and the reason why is because I am a -9.00 dioptre myope. I have very long eyes and was born into a hunting, tramping, fishing family but rebelled by having a love of reading and all things small and fiddly. I became myopic at age 6 but stopped progressing once I wore my spectacles full time. To my great delight my adult off-spring have exited childhood with 0.75D of myopia and average eyeball lengths.
If you have any queries, let us know or book your child into see me, Catherine, for an assessment.