What is Myopia and what are the best ways of dealing with it?
Myopia is also known as short-sightedness or near-sightedness.
Myopia is an eye condition that results in poor or blurred vision when viewing from a distance. It is also known as near-sightedness because people with myopia can still see things clearly that are close.
In Myopic eyes, the length of the eyeball is commonly longer than it should be, causing images of distant objects to be focused ‘in front of rather than ‘on’ the light-sensitive layer of the eye known as the retina.
What are common signs of Myopia?
The most obvious sign of Myopia is that objects in the distance appear blurry. Some children may report headaches and/or eye fatigue caused by the eyes straining to focus. They may also move or sit closer to activities (for example, in the c
lassroom) to see clearly.
Myopia usually develops during childhood, so parents should start to check behaviours. Some of these include:
- Sitting too close to the television, screens or school boards
- Holding screens close to the face
- Squinting when looking at objects
- Children may also squint or roll their eyes when looking into the distance
Myopia often progresses through childhood and at times into teenage years and early adulthood. Progression is recognised by distance vision getting blurry despite correction.
What causes Myopia?
Causes of Myopia can vary, one of these risk factors includes genetics. If one or both parents have myopia, the risk is increased and can vary on the degree of Myopia.
Another risk factor is Ethnicity. Additionally, Urban living is also a significant factor to consider. This could be due to less time outdoors.
Lastly, near work and education. The greater the time spent near work, the greater the risk of Myopia- both onset and progression. In children of the same age, those who were in a higher class/grade at school (greater academic load) have a more Myopic refractive error.
What does Myopia look like?
Myopia is when the eyeball grows longer and the light focuses on the back of the eye, instead of the front of the eye. The aim is to reduce Myopia reducing the risk of eye disease later in life, which in some cases can be sight-threatening.
Is there any way of preventing Myopia?
Evidence indicates that it is possible to reduce the risk of onset of Myopia. The condition may be delayed or prevented by spending less time on devices and more time outside, possibly due to increased exposure to sunlight or the need to look into the far distance regularly.
Whilst Myopia cannot be completely prevented, when it onsets, it can be managed through the use of specially designed glasses or contact lenses. These management approaches aim to slow the progress of Myopia thus reducing the risk of the eye reaching higher levels of Myopia.
Best steps in dealing with Myopia?
Enquire or book in for a Myopia control consultation, which is free. We will discuss the next steps with the parent and child. Wood Street Opticians has state-of-the-art technology that measures the length of the eye, this is something we can closely monitor on every appointment, to ensure the best results with our chosen Myopia control treat
ment.
Additionally, will check the eye muscles, check the prescription required and perform a comprehensive health check including an OCT scan of the deeper layer of the eyes.
Furthermore, we’ll also discuss risk factors. Providing you with a report to show the risk for your child, as this can vary from child to child.
As part of our treatment plan, regular communication and fitting checks are all part of the service and can be made via face-to-face or telemedicine appointment, as we understand
families lead busy lives and want to make the whole process easy and convenient.
How can someone make an appointment?
Wood Street Opticians offers free initial consultations either face to face or if you can’t come into practice, we offer telemedicine appts online which can be found on the link below.
Read more about Myopia from the NHS
Alternatively, read more of our Blogs here.
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