Your Child is Myopic.

What now? 

Myopia is the clinical term for short-sightedness, it means that people see distant objects as blurry. 1 in 3 people in the UK [https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/short-sightedness] are affected by myopia and it is estimated that half the world’s population will be myopic by 2050. 

Did you know that myopia becomes worse when children’s eyes grow more than they should? When this process doesn’t stop, we call it myopic progression. It is not clear exactly why some people develop myopia, however the risk factors are genetics, excessive close work, and minimal time spent outside.

Today most myopic children are wearing standard ophthalmic lenses. These lenses correct myopia and allow children to see clearly. However, their myopia is still worsening. This means that as children grow, their myopia may progress, requiring stronger prescriptions. The more the correction grows the more they are dependent on their glasses.

What can we do to help?

There are a number of ways we can help slow the progression of myopia. 

Below are 3 ways that have been clinically proven to slow the progression of myopia by up to 67%. 

• Multifocal Soft Contact Lenses
• Orthokeratology 
• Multifocal Glasses

Multifocal Soft Contact lenses

These contact lenses are soft daily disposable lenses that are specially designed to reduce the progression of myopia (or shortsightedness) in children. Lenses are worn through the day as a standard one day soft lens, for a minimum of six days a week.

Studies have suggested that this special one day disposable lens has been proven to slow down myopia by up to 59% [Sankaridurg P. Contact lenses to slow progression of myopia. Clinical and Experimental Optometry 2017 100(5) 432-437]. 

This means that if fitted early enough with this lens, most children will end up with less than half the strength of myopia than if fitted with a conventional contact lens or spectacles.

Cost: £50 assessment and £50 per month for the lenses

Ortho-Keratology

Ortho-Keratology (Ortho-K, corneal reshaping technology) lenses are rigid lenses that are designed to be worn overnight. An Ortho-K lens is shaped to gently flatten the cornea to neutralize the prescription to correct myopia so that on waking, the lenses are removed and throughout the day, the child can see without contact lenses or glasses. The flattening of the cornea is currently believed to create a profile that may produce myopic defocus, which is thought to control axial length and therefore slow down the myopic progression.

To learn more, click here.

Cost: £50 assessment £700 per year

Spectacles

The Single Vision Zone, carrying the prescription of your child, provides sharp vision by perfectly focusing light on the retina. The lens design ensures a large prescription zone. This guarantees clear vision and comfort.

This lens is made of a cutting-edge constellation of 1021 invisible lenslets. On top of bringing sharp vision like a standard single vision lens, this constellation creates a signal in the child’s eye acting as a shield against eye elongation.

Thanks to the H.A.L.T technology, Essilor® Stellest™ lenses slow down myopia progression by 67% on average, compared to single vision lenses, when worn 12 hours a day.

Cost : £300 per year this includes 6 monthly reviews and new lenses if the prescription has changed significantly.

What to do now?

If you have any questions, or what to book in call on 01494 258690