Myopia Management
Myopia or short-sightedness in children is becoming more common. This is when distant objects become blurred, while close objects can be seen clearly. The good news is that the progression of Myopia can be significantly reduced if it is caught and managed early.
Myopia or short-sightedness is becoming more common in children, with some studies predicting as many as 60% of children being affected. Studies have shown that those who are most at risk spend a lot of time doing close work like reading, drawing or using smartphones and tablets.
Short-sightedness is a common eye condition that causes distant objects to appear blurred, while close objects can be seen clearly. Unfortunately, Myopia tends to get worse as we grow, and the younger it starts the worse it may get overall!
The good news is that the progression of Myopia can now be significantly reduced if it is caught and managed early. Acting early may dramatically reduce the severity of short-sightedness in children and young adults, increase the range of vision-correction options available, and significantly reduce the risk of serious eye problems later in life.
That’s where we can help. If you are worried about short-sightedness in your child book in for our Myopia assessment*. It’s a quick and easy procedure and involves no discomfort or contact with the eye.
What Causess Myopia?
Myopia occurs when the eye grows to be slightly too long, this causes the vision to go out of focus and distant objects become blurred. At first this blur is so slight that it goes unnoticed, but as the eyes grow the myopia increases and the blur becomes increasingly inconvenient, often resulting in a lifetime dependency on spectacles or contact lenses.
The sooner this miniscule lengthening is found, the easier it is to reduce the progression of the myopia with Myopia Management. We recommend that children of age 6 or over should all have an eye examination and a MYHA Myopia Assessment if they appear to be at risk.
Speak to us today if your child:
• Is already short-sighted
• Is under 16 years old
• Is a student in full-time study
• Spends less than 1.5 hours outside every day
• Spends more than 2 hours reading or using handheld devices (outside of school hours)
• Has one or more parents with Myopia (even with neither parent suffering myopia, it still affects 1 in 4 people!)
If any of the above applies to you, or if you just want to be certain you’re taking the very best care of your child’s eyes, we would advise speaking to us to investigate the best course of action to help avoid or reduce the severity of Myopia.
The MYHA Myopia Assessment
For us this is nothing short of a revolution in the way that we can care for potentially short-sighted children.
Putting Parents In Control
It may be that there is no concern and routine eye examinations are all that is required. It may be that regular MYHA Myopia Assessments are a good idea, or it may be that the early signs of Myopia have been spotted and it’s time to start myopia management.
Whatever the outcome you will be confident that you are making an informed decision based upon the very best information available.
Simple Solutions
Thankfully, the solutions for myopia management are very simple and readily available.
There are two types of contact lenses which can slow down the progression of short-sightedness in children. Daily disposable day lenses and specialised gas permeable Night Lenses – such solutions have been proven to reduce the severity of myopia by 50%!
Experience tells us that children can adapt to wearing contact lenses very happily if given the chance. There are also spectacle lenses specifically designed to help counter Myopia – MyoCare from Zeiss and Miyosmart lenses from Hoya.
We are committed to offering the very best care for your child’s eyes. Book a Myopia Management Assessment today.
*Our Myopia assessments are not currently funded by the NHS and a fee will apply.
