Nicholas Despotidis, OD, FAAO, FCOVD
Myopia is a growing concern of many parents. It seems that children are starting to wear eyeglasses at a much younger age than in the past. This was the case with my own two children. Even though my wife and I did not start wearing eyeglasses until college, our sons began in second grade! The purpose of this article is to discuss the possible reasons why this may be happening.
What Is Myopia?
Myopia, or nearsightedness, is a condition of the eye that refers to a person’s inability to see objects at a distance. People who have myopia see far objects as blurry, while close objects appear clear.
What Causes Myopia?
Myopia occurs when the eyeball is slightly longer than usual from front to back. This causes light rays to focus at a point in front of the retina, rather than directly on its surface.
Blame Mom and Dad?
Nearsightedness runs in families and usually appears in childhood. Traditionally, eye doctors would tell concerned parents that their children’s vision was worsening due to heredity.
However, a disturbing trend has emerged. More and more, children are becoming nearsighted even though their parents have no vision problems.
So if genetics is not the only factor, what else contributes to myopia?
Environmental Influences
In addition to genetics, the development of myopia seems to be influenced by environmental factors such as near work activity.
Studies have shown that the more near work performed, the more likely your child will become nearsighted.
In one study, boys in Orthodox Jewish schools were found to have a higher rate of myopia (81.3%) compared with boys in general Jewish schools (27.4%). The boys in the Orthodox schools spent upwards of 16 hours a day studying!
Another report published in the British Journal of Ophthalmology, studied 429 people applying to enter the Singapore military found that nearsighted applicants generally had more education than their “clear-seeing” counterparts.
One reason why higher educated people are more likely to be nearsighted may be the stress on the eyes that comes with extensive reading.
What Can Parents Do?
Sometimes the simplest of habits can make a huge difference. Here are just a few suggestions that attempt to limit the amount of continuous reading or near work our children perform:
How About Contacts Lenses?
This summer I spoke at the Global Orthokeratology Symposium (GOS) in Chicago. The meeting centered around the use of specially designed “retainer” contact lenses that reshape the front surface of the eye, the cornea, in an effort to restore clear vision during the day.
Orthokeratology utilizes specially designed contact lenses that do not have a prescription, but rather gently reshape the cornea while you sleep. These retainer lenses are worn only at night and removed during the day, allowing for clear vision without the use of eyeglasses or daytime contacts. The lenses must be worn nightly.
One of the unexpected advantages of wearing orthokeratology lenses seems to be “control” of myopia. Researchers presented preliminary information on clinical studies that specifically investigated myopia progression and orthokeratology.
Early studies seem to demonstrate that children who wear orthokeratology lenses show less progression in deterioration of vision than children that wear eyeglasses.
My two sons have worn orthokeratology lenses since 1999 and their vision has not deteriorated at all! This is very encouraging, especially because they needed eyeglasses at such a young age.
So, Can We Conquer Myopia?
It doesn’t appear that we will be able to conquer myopia in the near future. However, we can help tame it. With parental education, consistent use of “visual hygiene” techniques outlined above, and regular eye examinations, I feel we can limit the growing number of children becoming nearsighted.
Myopia is a growing concern of many parents. It seems that children are starting to wear eyeglasses at a much younger age than in the past. This was the case with my own two children. Even though my wife and I did not start wearing eyeglasses until college, our sons began in second grade! The purpose of this article is to discuss the possible reasons why this may be happening.
What Is Myopia?
Myopia, or nearsightedness, is a condition of the eye that refers to a person’s inability to see objects at a distance. People who have myopia see far objects as blurry, while close objects appear clear.
What Causes Myopia?
Myopia occurs when the eyeball is slightly longer than usual from front to back. This causes light rays to focus at a point in front of the retina, rather than directly on its surface.
Blame Mom and Dad?
Nearsightedness runs in families and usually appears in childhood. Traditionally, eye doctors would tell concerned parents that their children’s vision was worsening due to heredity.
However, a disturbing trend has emerged. More and more, children are becoming nearsighted even though their parents have no vision problems.
So if genetics is not the only factor, what else contributes to myopia?
Environmental Influences
In addition to genetics, the development of myopia seems to be influenced by environmental factors such as near work activity.
Studies have shown that the more near work performed, the more likely your child will become nearsighted.
In one study, boys in Orthodox Jewish schools were found to have a higher rate of myopia (81.3%) compared with boys in general Jewish schools (27.4%). The boys in the Orthodox schools spent upwards of 16 hours a day studying!
Another report published in the British Journal of Ophthalmology, studied 429 people applying to enter the Singapore military found that nearsighted applicants generally had more education than their “clear-seeing” counterparts.
One reason why higher educated people are more likely to be nearsighted may be the stress on the eyes that comes with extensive reading.
What Can Parents Do?
Sometimes the simplest of habits can make a huge difference. Here are just a few suggestions that attempt to limit the amount of continuous reading or near work our children perform:
- Rest every 20 minutes
- Do not hold reading material closer than 14”
- Play sports
- Limit video game play
- Use good posture while reading
How About Contacts Lenses?
This summer I spoke at the Global Orthokeratology Symposium (GOS) in Chicago. The meeting centered around the use of specially designed “retainer” contact lenses that reshape the front surface of the eye, the cornea, in an effort to restore clear vision during the day.
Orthokeratology utilizes specially designed contact lenses that do not have a prescription, but rather gently reshape the cornea while you sleep. These retainer lenses are worn only at night and removed during the day, allowing for clear vision without the use of eyeglasses or daytime contacts. The lenses must be worn nightly.
One of the unexpected advantages of wearing orthokeratology lenses seems to be “control” of myopia. Researchers presented preliminary information on clinical studies that specifically investigated myopia progression and orthokeratology.
Early studies seem to demonstrate that children who wear orthokeratology lenses show less progression in deterioration of vision than children that wear eyeglasses.
My two sons have worn orthokeratology lenses since 1999 and their vision has not deteriorated at all! This is very encouraging, especially because they needed eyeglasses at such a young age.
So, Can We Conquer Myopia?
It doesn’t appear that we will be able to conquer myopia in the near future. However, we can help tame it. With parental education, consistent use of “visual hygiene” techniques outlined above, and regular eye examinations, I feel we can limit the growing number of children becoming nearsighted.
1 comments:
Much has occurred in the last few years in relation to myopia control. Evidence is mounting in relation to myopia control and orthokeratology. You can check out a list of studies at Clear View Eye Care
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