A parent’s guide to myopia to protect your child’s vision
As a parent, caring for your child’s well-being and health is one of your top priorities. Myopia (nearsightedness) is one of the most common vision correction issues in children, affecting over 40% of people across the United States alone.
Our experts want to break down what causes myopia in kids, the associated risk factors and explore treatment options to prevent deterioration, as well as tips on how to protect or improve their vision along the way. Read on for everything you need to know about managing your child’s eye care needs and raising myopia awareness.
What is myopia?
Did you know that myopia, or nearsightedness, is becoming increasingly common in children? If you’re not familiar with myopia, it’s when objects up close appear clear, but things in the distance look blurry. This happens when the eye causes light rays to bend inaccurately, so they end up focusing in front of the retina instead of on it. In recent years, there has been a rise in children who develop myopia, and experts estimate that by 2050, half of the world’s population will have it.
Genetic or lifestyle – what causes myopia?
Understanding the causes of myopia is crucial to help your child maintain good eye health. One of the main causes is genetics; if one or both parents suffer from nearsightedness, there is a higher chance your child will develop it. Lifestyle factors also come into play. With children spending more time on schoolwork, digital devices, and game consoles, it’s no wonder myopia is becoming more common.
When a child develops myopia, their prescription can increase as they grow older. After a certain point, this can increase their risk of developing conditions like glaucoma or retinal detachments as adults.
However, studies do reveal that spending 2 hours a day outdoors in natural light can help reduce the risk of developing myopia in children and even help to prevent its progression.
Myopia symptoms
Headaches, blurred vision and eye strain are all symptoms of myopia. At a young age, children may not be able to express their vision difficulties fully, but if you notice them constantly squinting, blinking excessively, rubbing their eyes, sitting close to the TV, or not showing awareness of distant objects, it may suggest that they are struggling to see and need to see an eye doctor.
Regular eye examinations are key
Booking an eye examination with one of our experienced and friendly eye doctors is the first step to maintaining clear and healthy vision in your child. At their appointment, our doctors will perform a physical examination of their eyes and test their vision to determine if they are myopic and whether they require any myopia treatment. We’re able to adjust the eye examination to suit their reading abilities and will ensure they are totally relaxed before starting the assessment.
Regular eye examinations are key in monitoring eye health and catching any changes in prescription which could indicate the progression of myopia. Fortunately, there have been advancements in treatment to slow down myopia progression, allowing us to effectively manage myopia in children.
Contact lenses for myopia control
It’s natural to be concerned about myopia and what the progression of the condition will mean for your child’s eye health. We’re pleased to announce that there’s a fantastic new product available that is clinically proven to slow myopia progression in children.
MiSight contact lenses are innovative daily disposable contact lenses that feature a dual focus design made up of correction zones and treatment zones. These zones help to slow down the growth of the eye and reduce the progression of myopia while correcting your child’s vision as regular contact lenses would, providing them with clear vision.
With children as young as 8 able to remove and insert these contact lenses with ease, they’re a fantastic option for managing myopia, especially for kids who are always on the go.
Protect your child’s vision today
As parents, it’s natural to want the best for your children. That’s why it’s important to understand the impact of myopia and how it can lead to more serious eye conditions. By preventing its progression, we can significantly reduce the risk of children developing high myopia, protect their vision, and give them a brighter future.
Book a children’s eye examination with one of our eye doctors in Quincy, IL, for peace of mind, or contact us to find out more about our myopia management treatment today.