What is Myopia?
Myopia is also known as being short-sighted or near-sighted. If you are short-sighted, you have problems seeing things in the distance clearly. Myopia is often due to the eye being slightly too long.
Around a third of people in the UK are myopic. The condition usually starts in childhood (as young as 3 years old) and tends to get worse until the eye has stopped growing (between 16-21 years old). This means myopia can keep progressing up and till your earlier twenties, causing your prescription to increase and your vision become worse.
What are the symptoms of Myopia?
If your child is myopic, they will have problems seeing things in the distance clearly without glasses or contact lenses.
What causes Myopia?
Long periods of near activities such as reading and using screens (for example, phones, tablets, laptops and computers) may affect how myopia develops. Spending time on these activities might mean your child spends less time outdoors, which we know can help prevent or delay myopia developing. We know that a child may be more likely to become myopic if they:
- have a parent with myopia
- are of East Asian origin
- spend limited time outside
What is the treatment for Myopia?
Myopia can be correct with either glasses or contact lenses. Here at Focalpoint Opticians, we offer different forms of myopia management (in the form of glasses and different contact lenes) to help slow down the rate of myopia progression.
There are many different options to help correct and managed myopia. Should you or child experience any difficulties, please book in with our optometrist.
