Myopia Control
The likelihood of developing myopia is relatively high if one or both parents of a child have it too. In today’s digital world, excessive screen time may also play a part in children developing myopia at earlier ages.
What is myopia?
Myopia is the formal term for short-sightedness. If you are myopic, you’re able to clearly see objects that are near to you, but anything further afield appears to be blurry. This common vision condition occurs when the eyeball grows too long. This change of shape causes light rays to focus in front of the retina at the back of the eye, rather than on it, which leads to blurry vision at far distances.
Early intervention is essential for slowing down myopia progression in children. As children grow, so do their eyes. Without properly managing myopia, their vision may deteriorate over the years to the point where they become highly myopic, in other words, when their prescription is very high.
Unfortunately, as myopia becomes more severe, so does the risk of developing other eye problems in adulthood. This includes serious eye conditions such as glaucoma and retinal detachments.
How to control myopia
One of our main missions is to curb this growing epidemic and protect your child’s vision and eye health. Revolutionary myopia control technology is now available in various forms to help slow down and control the rate of myopia progression in children. After conducting thorough research, we’ve invested in a number of the latest clinically proven myopia management methods, including:
MiSight 1-Day contact lenses: These daily disposable soft contact lenses are made using ActivControl® technology to control axial elongation (how long the eyeball grows) and the rate of myopia in children. They also help correct short-sightedness like regular contact lenses so that your child can enjoy clear vision without the help of glasses during the day.
According to a three-year clinical study in children aged 8-15 years, 100% of parents were happy with the vision, ease of use, and comfort these contact lenses provided, while 90% of children said they preferred wearing their MiSight contact lenses over glasses. We have successfully fitted a number of children with these contact lenses at our practice, with parents and children alike being extremely satisfied with the results so far.
MiYOSMART spectacle lenses: MiYOSMART is an award-winning innovative spectacle lens that has been shown after a two-year trial to limit myopia progression on average by 59% and slow axial eye growth on average by 60%.
They are worn just like regular glasses, with included features like a durable anti-reflective coating, as well as being water repellent and impact resistant, making them perfect for a child’s active lifestyle.
Stellest spectacle lenses: Stellest lenses are once again worn like regular children’s glasses and have been proven to slow down myopia progression by 67% on average when worn 12 hours a day. Stellest lenses are designed with HALT (Highly Aspherical Lenslet Target) technology, which means they are made up of a constellation of 1021 invisible lenslets.
This sends a signal, acting as a brake on the lengthening of the eyeball. This subsequently allows the lenses to slow down myopia progression. By helping curb myopia as early as possible, Stellest lenses can enable your child to enjoy happier and healthier eyes long-term.
Myopia and children
We all want children to enjoy healthier eyes and clearer vision. If you are concerned about your child’s short-sightedness, please don’t hesitate to book a comprehensive eye exam. NHS eye exams are free for children aged 16 and under, and for those aged 18 and under who are in full time education.
During their appointment, our experienced optometrist will assess their eye health and vision. They will then be able to recommend which myopia management option they think will work best for your child.
Contact the practice today to book a consultation.
