Myopia Management
Is the prescription getting stronger every year? We can do more than update the glasses.
What is myopia?
Myopia, commonly called short-sightedness, means distance vision is blurry while everything up close stays sharp. A child may read comfortably but struggle to make out the whiteboard at school or road signs across the street.
Blurry distance vision is not the only sign to watch for:
- Squinting to see things in the distance
- Eyestrain
- Frequent headaches
This generation is living through a myopia epidemic. Around 30% of the world's population is myopic, and in parts of South-East Asia such as Taiwan and Singapore up to 80% of secondary school students are affected, with many children now becoming myopic as young as five or six.
What are the causes of myopia?
In a myopic eye, the eyeball has grown slightly too long, so light focuses in front of the retina instead of on it. That is what blurs the distance.
Genetics play a part, but environmental factors matter even more. The strongest modern driver is children spending less time outdoors: bright natural light helps regulate how the growing eye lengthens.
Myopia is not only a vision issue. It also affects eye health. The higher the level of myopia, the higher the risk of eye disease in adulthood: retinal detachment, cataract, myopic macular degeneration and glaucoma all become more likely.
What is myopia control?
‘Myopia control’ describes treatments that aim to slow the progression of myopia, not just correct it. New glasses account for where the prescription sits now; myopia control works on how fast it is changing.
The treatments include:
- Specialty spectacle lens designs
- Hoya MiYOSMART
- Soft contact lenses
- Atropine eye drops
Ready?
Slow the progression. Protect the future.
Book an assessment with Wendy at our Armadale practice.