Myopia
Myopia, or short-sightedness, is a condition that causes blurry vision in the distance, but is usually good up close. Short-sighted people often report difficulty distinguishing details on road signs and scoreboards.
Parents will often notice their child “squinting” the lids together in an attempt to see clearer. This works by narrowing the aperture they are looking through which temporarily clears the image on the back of the eye.
Why does myopia occur?
Myopia tends to first develop during school age, as the eye grows to full adult size. If the eye grows longer, it focuses light in front of the eye, causing myopia. The eye elongates and the retina stretches over this increased area. This stretching, and subsequent thinning is linked with an increased risk of eye diseases.
Myopia occurs either due to genetic or environmental factors such as; time spent outdoors, and close work. The earlier myopia begins, the faster the prescription is likely to progress. This is unless strategies are commenced to reduce myopic progression.
What is the risk of myopic progression
How is myopia treated?
Traditionally, myopia is corrected with single vision contact lenses or spectacles. This corrects for the distance blur but does not help to slow the progression of myopia. Myopia control is the field of optometry which uses therapies to slow the progression of myopia. There is an abundance of well researched data in this field.
The main therapies are
- Orthokeratology: the use of hard contact lenses worn at night to reshape the eye providing clear vision and myopia control benefits.
- Soft multifocal contact lenses: these are worn during the day and use the same principle as Ortho-k to slow myopia progression
- Spectacle lenses for myopia control: there are a number of options in this space such as multifocals, DIMS lenses and bifocals.
- Medical Therapy: special compounded eyedrops are used at night, glasses or contact lenses are still worn during the day.
COVID and its impact on myopia. What can a parent do to protect their kids?
TheCoVid-19 pandemic has forced school, mall, parks and other outdoor activities to close. This has forced children to “shelter in their homes”. What do they do inside a home? The play video games and work at their computers for hours and hours. Lack of outdoor time and extensive near work are both serious risk factors for increasing myopia.
Will we see a large increase in kids developing nearsightedness in the next year? Will myopic kids find that their prescription increases in strength at a faster rate in the coming year? It is very possible.
So what can a parent do to lessen these serious challenges posed by “shelter in home”?
1. Ensure that your child goes outdoors for 1 hour every day.
2. Invent interesting outdoor activities, and participate with your kids.
3. Allow your child to read or work on their computers/Ipads outdoors.
4. Ensure that they take a 10 minute break for every 30 minutes of screen time.
5. Try to limit the screen time to 4 hours per day.
6. The web has lots of ideas to help you protect your child’s future sight:
Supporting Kids During the Coronavirus Crisis | Child Mind Institute
250+ Creative Ways to Keep Your Family Sane During the COVID-19 Crisis