In a blink of an eye, does it seem like your child is suddenly taller than you? Just like growth spurts, the eye can also grow longer than it usually does. This results in myopia (nearsightedness), which is blurry distance vision that is corrected by glasses. But it’s not being tall that determines how much your eye grows. In fact, there are two main reasons for why a child’s prescription might continue to go up.
Genetics. If neither of your parents are nearsighted, you have a 1 in 5 chance of being nearsighted. If one of your parents is nearsighted, your chance increases to 1 in 4. If both of your parents are, your chance jumps to 1 in 3.
Environment. Genetics isn’t the entire picture considering that 30% of Canadians are nearsighted (and this stat is increasing every year). Studies show that glasses prescriptions are more likely to increase when there is less time spent outdoors in sunlight. Additionally, activities that involve a lot of near concentration (e.g. phones, computers) can also increase myopia.
To slow down a child’s glasses prescription from increasing, there are four options of myopia control:
Environmental changes. Spending at least 1.5 hours outdoors daily has shown to reduce myopia progression by 54% in children. We recommend children to have limited exposure (maximum 2 hrs/day) on electronic screens, and to balance their day with time spent outside.
Specialty glasses. MiyoSmart and MyoVision are lenses that are designed with new technology to slow myopia progression by up to 60%. Ask your doctor about them!
Specialty contact lenses. MiSight (soft lenses) and orthokeratology (hard lenses) slow myopia progression by up to 60%. These require special fittings by your doctor.
Pharmaceutical eyedrops. Prescription eye drops specially made by certain pharmacies can be used to slow myopia progression. These are most effective when used with specialty glasses/contact lenses.
Your optometrist can let you know which options are best for you. Feel free to ask us about these anytime!
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Written by: Dr. Natalia Fong
Image Credit: Kyle Gregory Devaras