MYOPIA CONTROL

Myopia, also known as short-sightedness, causes blurred vision for distance objects, and as the myopia increases, can cause blurred vision, even at arm's length.

It typically starts before the age of 10 and then can progress and get worse every few months. It is due to the eyes growing too quickly and too long for the normal rate of eye growth.  Usually, in children, eyes are meant to grow steadily until the teenage years and then stabilises. In myopia, though, the eyes grow too quickly leading to rapid and continual deterioration of vision and continued eye growth through the teenage years and even in early adulthood.This ongoing deterioration is called myopia progression.

Myopia progression brings with it:

• Increasingly blurred vision
• The need for frequent changes in spectacle or contact lens prescription
• Increased risk of eye diseases and vision problems over a person's lifetime

'Myopia control' has become the increasingly adopted term to describe the use of treatments aimed to slow progression of myopia. These treatments include special types of spectacle lenses (glasses), soft contact lenses, ortho-k and atropine eye drops. Myopia control is particularly important for children, because this is the stage in life when myopia is most likely to progress or worsen quickly.

Myopia control is also important in teenagers as their vision can still be worsening, albeit at a slower rate than in younger children. Around half of teenagers reach stability of their myopia progression around age 16, but this means half are still progressing, so ideally myopia control treatment should continue into early adulthood.

Myopia control or myopia management are terms used interchangeably to describe the extra clinical care required for children and adults with myopia. Generally, myopia control means slowing down myopia progression with spectacle, contact lenses. In some countries there are also eye drop treatments but these are not yet licensed in the UK. 

Myopia control treatments have been mostly researched in children from around age 6 through to 16. There is less evidence for effective treatments for kids younger than this, or for teens and young adults older than this.

Children aged 6-10 years tend to show the most rapid progression, or worsening, of their myopia. This means it is crucial to start a myopia control treatment as soon as possible.

Here at Ellis Bass Optometrists we offer various forms of Myopia Control:

• Night contact lenses (also known as ortho-k lenses)
• Myopia control spectacles
• Myopia control soft contact lenses for daily wear

It’s important to see myopia for what it really is – a health condition of the eyes which increases risk of vision problems and eye diseases. It’s not just about a pair of glasses, and it can’t just be ‘fixed’ with laser surgery because once the eye grows too long, this can't be reversed and the eye health risk will always be a concern.

The number of children and adults with myopia is increasing around the world. Myopia is a lifelong condition and increases risk of potentially sight threatening conditions in later life, leading the World Health Organization to classify myopia as a global health concern.

Myopic macular degeneration, an eye disease which affects central vision, is already the leading cause of vision impairment in working-aged adults in China and Japan, where levels of myopia are very high

• Treatment options for myopia control in children and teenagers include specific types of spectacle lenses, soft contact lenses, night / ortho-k contact lenses. Each of these categories include effective options to slow myopia progression, and some have more evidence than others.

• Standard single-vision spectacles or contact lenses do not slow myopia progression and are considered an ineffective treatment.

• The best option for your child or teenager's myopia control treatment will include a variety of considerations such as their prescription, eye health, hobbies, activities and even what best suits you as a family.

Based on current research evidence, many of these options are similarly effective. These are the new design 'lenslet' spectacle lenses, myopia controlling soft contact lenses and night lenses ( ortho-k) . All of these options have been shown to slow myopia progression in children and teenagers by at least half, compared to kids wearing single vision spectacle or contact lenses (which is considered a non-treatment).

As described above, these treatments have all been researched in kids aged from around 6 to 8 through to 14 to 16 years of age, but there are less studies including children younger or teenagers older than this. If your child falls outside of these age ranges as described by the scientific evidence, the treatment may still work for them, but the expectations for treatment may need to be adjusted.

Your child's age can also factor into suitability of specific treatments. For example, younger children may find handling contact lenses more challenging, although they can typically handle them well from age 6-8. 

The best option for your child will depend on many factors, as described above. Sometimes there may be quite a few options which could suit a particular child or teenager. We are more than happy to answer your questions regrading suitable option of myopia control for your child.