The Implications Of Shortsightedness
Myopia, also known as short-sightedness, is on the rise. In the year 2000 approximately 20% of the world’s population was myopic. By 2050 it is expected that up to 90% of the world’s population will be myopic.
So why is this a problem, what’s the big deal? Well if we take a look at what exactly being myopic means things become a little clearer (excuse the pun).
Aside from not being able to see clearly in the distance being myopic has far more serious implications. If you imagine you’re given a roll of wall paper to paper your living room.
If the room is the ideal size then the paper will fit nicely. Now imagine your living room has grown in size. You still have the same roll of wall paper which now needs to fit an even larger space. The paper will now have to be stretched and is much thinner so at risk of tearing or not sticking properly.
The same is true of the retina in a myopic eye. The retinal tissue is thinner and at much more risk of tears or detachment.
How Shortsightedness Effects Your Child
Being myopic puts you at risk of sight threatening complications. The main conditions are increased risk of retinal tears and detachments, myopic maculopathy and glaucoma. Furthermore having simple operations like cataract surgery become more risky for myopic eyes.
As we increasingly live an urban lifestyle time spent outdoors is relatively scarce and we are now a predominantly near focused society. This has helped lead to the explosion in myopia and as it’s difficult or even impossible to change our lifestyles, myopia management has never been more important.
Being myopic can have a profound impact on a child’s education and wider quality of life. Consider the example image with the blurring effect. The image on the left half depicts a child with normal vision looking at the board while the right half shows the same board through a myopic eye. This difference will be even greater the greater the degree of myopia.
As a result of poor vision a child’s academic perfomance will be affected as well as during sports and hobbies.
So what options are available? There are conventional spectacles and conventional contact lenses. While they will both correct the central sight they do nothing to slow down the rate of myopic progression. Here at Exact Eyecare we offer the complete myopia management solution. We are an accredited MiYOSMART lens practice and an accredited MiSight contact lens practice. In addition to this we also offer ‘Night Lenses’ vision correction.
The MiSight® 1 day lens is clinically proven to slow the progression of myopia when initially prescribed for children 8-12 years old*. It serves as the cornerstone of a comprehensive myopia management approach that we expect to launch in the U.S. in Spring 2020. MiSight 1 day contact lenses were clinically validated in a multi-year comprehensive study that enrolled children between 8 and 12.
The clinical study of MiSight 1 day lenses was the first to demonstrate sustained reduction in myopia progression with a soft contact lens over a three-year period.
Over three years, MiSight reduced myopia progression by 59%, versus a single vision 1 day lens.
With MiSight, we also saw 52% reduction in average axial lengthening. Image shows change in axial length.
How MiSight 1 Day Works
MiSight 1 day with ActivControl™ Technology helps slow the elongation of the eye and myopia progression, while fully correcting refractive error. Addressing axial elongation helps to reduce the risk of myopia-related vision complications later in life, including irreversible vision loss.
- Two treatment zones create myopic defocus with image focus in front of the retina, rather than behind it to slow axial elongation
- Two correction zones correct myopia in all gaze positions
For more information on how we can help your child with shortsightedness (Myopia) please contact us to arrange an appointment time or a telephone consultation by using the button below.