Short Sight Correction
Common? Yes. In the US roughly 25% of youngsters have it.
Harmless? No.
Myopia (short sight) is directly linked to eye disease later in life. In a nutshell, the higher the Myopia (the higher the Dioptre number e.g., -5.00D, -6.00D), the greater the risk of sight-threatening conditions, such as retinal detachments, glaucoma, and myopic macular degeneration, for your child in the future.
Take this matter seriously.
To reiterate: The higher the Myopia, the higher the risk of eye disease for your child later in life.
WHAT IS MYOPIA?
Myopia causes the eye to elongate, making the retina more susceptible to degeneration. If we think of the eye as a camera, the retina acts like the film, capturing what we see. If the retina gets damaged, it can lead to permanent sight loss that cannot be corrected with spectacles or surgery. In the worst-case scenario, it may result in partial sight or even blindness.
MYOPIA PROGRESSION & MYOPIA CONTROL
Myopia Progression becomes a concern when your child’s eyesight worsens by >0.5D within a year. At this point, your Optician will likely recommend looking into Myopia Control devices, and night lenses are one of three options available: Myopia Control glasses, Myopia control day lenses, and Myopia control night lenses (this site).
The good news is that the amount of Myopia can now be reduced in children using night lenses and other Myopia Control devices. When my son was 13, his prescription was -3.75D and -4.00D. That’s when we started him on night lenses. Now, at 16, he has stabilized at that level. As a parent, it’s the best decision I ever made for him, as he now has better sight and a better life, with a ~40%* reduced risk of developing eye disease later in life. [*Source: Scotlens]. In the Myopia Control section of this site (linked below), you’ll read about how Jaimin’s son had a similar journey to my son but started earlier at age 10 with night lenses and stabilized at -2.00D. The bottom line: had we started my son 3-4 years earlier, when he was 10, he could have seen the 3rd-4th line down on the eye chart now. However, his current path is only to see the top line clearly. But it could have been worse. Hence, my advice to parents is to start early.
CLICK HERE for more info on Myopia Control, Myopia Progression and to read about other children like my son whose Myopia has stabilised with night lenses.
CLICK HERE to visit myopiacontrolawareness.org, a non-commercial industry-lead site for general advice to parents and to find out more about Myopia and children
