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Managing myopia
and helping to protect your child’s future vision
Myopia is also known as short-sightedness. It happens because our eyes become longer and cannot properly focus light. As a consequence, people who are myopic struggle to see distant objects. For some, this is just an inconvenience. However, it can lead to severe eye disease and visual complications in later life.
Let’s find out more about myopia, its causes and steps we can take to prevent it or stop it from getting worse…
The global myopia epidemic
In the last 50 years, the prevalence of myopia in the UK has more than doubled – from 10% in the 1960s to 23% in the 2000s (1). Experts predict that by 2050 more than 50% of the global population will be myopic – shortsighted (2).
By the year 2050, half of all people in the world will be myopic.
Why is this happening?
There has been a lot of research into the causes of this increase, but there are still unanswered questions. So far, studies have suggested that children are at more risk of developing myopia if they:
Intense studying
Study for long periods at high intensity.
Near work
Spend prolonged periods at near work.
Inherited
Have a family history of myopia.
Why does this matter?
If you are myopic, you are at greater risk of developing a number of eye diseases in later life. The more myopic you are, the greater the risk. However, if we can reduce the end amount of myopia you have, the risk will be lower.
- Cataract
- Retinal Detachment
- Glaucoma
- Myopic Maculopathy
So how can I prevent my child becoming myopic?
Help them to spend time outdoors. In studies, spending 40 to 80 minutes per day outside has been shown to reduce the chance of children becoming myopic.
40 to 80 mins per day spent outdoors could reduce the chance of a child becoming myopic.
But what if my child is already myopic?
Research has shown that several types of intervention can help reduce myopia progression. In the UK, these include myopia management soft contact lenses such as MiSight from Coopervision and spectacles.
We also have Ortho-k lenses such as EyeDream. EyeDream lenses are worn overnight and removed in the morning. The gentle moulding action of the lenses allows you to see well all day without conventional contact lenses or specs. Ortho-k lenses such as EyeDream have been shown to slow myopia progression in many studies and over many years.
1 – McCullough et al. Six Year Refractive Change among White Children and Young Adults: Evidence for Significant Increase in Myopia among White UK Children. PLos One. 2016 Jan 19;11(1):e014332
2 – Holden et al. Global Prevalence of Myopia and High Myopia and Temporal Trends from 2000 through 2050. Ophthalmology. 2016 Mys;123(5):1036-42
EyeDream lenses can help to slow the progression of myopia.
Benefits of EyeDream for children
Because of EyeDream’s special design and the way in which the lenses are worn (during sleep), they offer benefits to children and parents beyond myopia management. These include:
Active lifestyle
EyeDream lenses are worn during sleep at home, so children are free to enjoy a healthy active lifestyle, free from the worry and inconvenience of wearing specs and daily lenses.
Peace of mind
EyeDream lenses are worn at home during sleep, so lens wear can be supported and monitored by parents – and it also means an end to lost specs and lenses!
Reduced costs
EyeDream lenses can slow the worsening of myopia, so there is no need to continually update specs with expensive new lens prescriptions.
Can I really sleep and see? How quickly will it work? How much does EyeDream cost?
If you would like to know more about EyeDream, why not get in touch and book a consultation appointment?
Looking to make an appointment?
Earlam and Christopher Ltd
We are a local, independent family run practice.
We pride ourselves on treating each of our patients as an individual to tailor the best possible approach to meet your eye and vision needs.
At Earlam and Christopher Opticians and Optometrists we believe in providing our customers with professional and thorough eye health care.
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