MYOPIA
Myopia is short sight. It causes poor vision in the distance and in order to see people need to wear glasses.
Myopia is increasing world-wide at an alarming rate. Not only that, but children are becoming myopic much earlier in life.
Higher levels of myopia is associated with increased risk of eye problems such as glaucoma, cataract, retinal detachment, and myopic maculopathy caused by the elongation of the eye in myopia which stretches the retina and makes it thin and liable to break and tear.
WHY IS MYOPIA A PROBLEM?
The eye becomes larger as myopia develops. The retina then stretches and becomes thinner. This increases the risk that the retina might tear and in turn can cause significant sight problems.
Even slightly short sighted people have a greater lifelong likelihood of eye disease than non-myopes. The higher the myopia, the higher the risk becomes.
Myopes between -3.00 and -5.75D have 3-fold increase in the risk of retinal detachment compared to non-myopic children. For myopes over -6.00D the relative risk is nearly 22 times as great.
CAN MYOPIA BE SLOWED DOWN?
Yes. Non-pharmacological approaches include special single vision spectacle lenses for example, MYOSMART©, multifocal spectacles, dual-focus contact lenses (monthly or daily disposable) and Ortho-K contact lenses which are worn at night and removed in the morning to give good vision all day and control of short sight can slow progression in a large proportion of young people with progressive myopia.
Strong evidence also exists that spending time outdoors can protect against the onset of myopia and possibly reduce the final level of adult myopia. When children spend more than two hours per day outdoors the risk of myopia is reduced, even when they have two myopic parents and continue to perform near work.
FUTURE-PROOFING VISION
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
MYOPIA CARE
Yes. Predictive calculators of myopia exist (www.myopiacare.org) which can identify individuals ‘at risk’ of becoming myopic.
Absolutely not. It was once thought that under-correcting myopia would slow its progression. However, many studies have now shown that under-correction actually speeds up progression.
It is thought that standard single focus spectacles can themselves promote myopic elongation of the eye.