What is myopia?
Myopia, or nearsightedness, is the struggle to see distant objects clearly. It usually begins in childhood or early teenage years and progresses through young adulthood.
What are the effects of myopia?
Myopia causes objects at a distance to appear blurry. For children, this often leads to trouble focusing in class or difficulty with sports or other activities that require distant vision.
What causes myopia?
Myopia occurs when the eyeball becomes elongated or the cornea and lens become too curved, causing the light rays to focus in front of the retina rather than directly on it. This leads to improper focus and blurry distant vision. Below are certain risk factors that can contribute to or worsen the effects of myopia:
Genetics, like family history and ethnicity.
Environmental factors, like not enough time spent outside.
"Close work tasks" prolonged screen times
What can I do?
However, there are also many day-to-day things you can to help look after your child's vision.
Put eye care first
The earlier myopia is spotted, the better. Regular eye exams and eye care can prevent the onset and progression of myopia.
Get outside
Natural light significantly reduces the risk of developing myopia and progression. We recommend at least two hours of daily outdoor time, with proper sun protection of course!
Reduce near work
Encourage your child to spend time away from screens and reduce near work time to a maximum of 90 minutes a day.
Follow the 20/20/20 rule
During near work or screen time, look away every 20 minutes at something at least 20 feet away for at least 20 seconds, making 4-5 complete blinks.
Treatments
FYidoctors offers a variety of treatment options, some of which can slow myopia's progression by as much as 90%. Talk to your doctor to find out what might be best for you.
One such treatment option is Orthokeratology, or Ortho-K, which uses custom-designed contact lenses that are worn overnight. These lenses work to reshape the cornea and reduce eyeball elongation, allowing for clear vision without eyeglasses or contact lenses during the day. Refractive errors, such as myopia, can lead to a detached retina if left untreated.
We can help assess the risk of your myopia and provide alternative treatments such as refractive surgery or eye focusing exercises in conjunction with Ortho-K.
Specialty Glasses
Regular prescription lenses are enhanced with peripheral vision management technology. These help focus light on slowing down eyeball elongation.
Specialty Contact Lenses
Daily disposal contact lenses,
worn during daylight hours can help reduce the stimulation that causes eyeball elongation.
Pharmacological Eyedrops
Often combined with other treatments, low-dose atropine eye drops are widely used to help slow the progression of myopia.
Ortho-K
A form of rigid contact lens worn overnight to reshape the eye has been used to slow down the progression of myopia.