Myopia, also known as short-sightedness or near-sightedness, is a growing concern all around the world with the prevalence expected to increase to 50% of the world’s population by 2050. We are experiencing this locally as well and are seeing more and more myopic patients every day.
So, what is myopia? Myopia is when the eye elongates, and images are no longer focused properly making vision blurry. Myopia can develop at different stages of life, but childhood myopia is often onset between ages 6-12 years old. From diagnosis, we would expect the prescription to progress and change over time with growth.
You might notice your child cannot see airplanes in the distance, is squinting, complaining of headaches or their teacher is commenting on how they are struggling to see the board at school. All of these could be signs of myopia.
As a parent who may kids who are myopic, there are many reasons for myopia such as Genetics, Ethnicity, and even environmental factors, like reduced outdoor time and increased near tasks. These are all risk factors for developing myopia.
Why are we concerned with myopia? Aside from blurry vision, myopia comes with health risks later in life. Macular Degeneration, Retinal Detachments, Glaucoma, and Cataracts could develope over time for patients with Myopia. Typically, the higher the prescription, the higher the risk for ocular health concerns. But don’t worry, we do have some good news!
At Optique we have Myopia Management options to help slow such onsets in kids and teens over time. We can help correct your child’s blurry vision AND help prevent it from getting worse.
We offer MiYOSMART lenses for Glasses and MiSight Contact Lenses which are proven solutions to help reduce Myopia.
Request an appointment with Optique today to find out what we can do to help your child’s vision!