Nearsightedness and your child’s future vision.

We asked moms what their questions were about nearsightedness (myopia) and have some answers below.

What is nearsightedness? 

Nearsightedness is also known as myopia.  Often beginning between ages 6 and 12, myopia is a vision condition where distance vision is blurry, but objects up close are clear.  It occurs when the shape of the eye causes the rays of light to bend in a way that makes the distance vision blurry. It can get worse every year until early adulthood.

The pictures below show what your child may see with different levels of myopia.  In mild myopia, objects up close are clear and the vision in the distance is blurry.  For moderate myopia, the distance, and intermediate vision are blurry and with high myopia, all distances appear blurry. The higher level of myopia, the less likely your child can function easily without some form of vision correction. He or she may not be able to see the whiteboard in class without sitting in the front row.

levelsofmyopia.jpg

Simulated vision with different levels of myopia from mild to moderate to high.

What are the signs that my child may be nearsighted?

You may not know that your child is nearsighted.  Early signs may include:

  • Holding their tablets or phones too close to their face

  • Sitting close to the TV

  • Squinting in order to see

  • Complaining of headaches 

  • Isn’t interested in watching live sports or activities that involve seeing at a distance.

  • Difficulty seeing the board at school

  • Sitting in the front row at school

Why is my child nearsighted? Why does my child have myopia?

Heredity is a factor in whether your child has or will have myopia. In fact, if one parent has myopia, there’s a 25% chance your child will have myopia. If both parents have myopia then that jumps to 50%.1 But heredity is not the only factor and does not explain why there is a dramatic increase in the prevalence of myopia around the world. The Brien Holden Vision Institute estimates that in 2010 twenty three percent of the world’s population was myopic and this is projected to increase to 50% by 2050.2

The good news is that there are factors that we parents are able to influence and that appear to play a role in the development of nearsightedness. For example, studies have shown that outdoor time and the amount of time in sunlight are factors. Other factors that we can manage are the amount of screen time and time spend in close-up activities.3

There are also treatment options you can take as a parent to slow down the progression of myopia. These may include nighttime wear contact lenses, daytime wear contact lenses, glasses, and prescription eye drops.

What should I do about nearsightedness or myopia?

  • See an eye care professional at a young age and on a regular basis.  He or she will help you manage your child’s nearsighted or myopia progression.

  • Find out if your child is nearsighted. Watch for signs like squinting in order to see, holding electronic devices too close, or getting headaches.

  • Catch nearsightedness early, before it fully develops and you may slow the onset and the progression. 

  • Consider treatment options for the nearsightedness that not only provide temporary correction for the nearsighted vision but may have long-term benefits of slowing down the progression as well.

Sources:

  1. Jones, et al, IOVS 2007 

  2. Holden BA, Fricke TR, Wilson DA, Jong M, Naidoo KS, Sankaridurg P, Wong TY, Naduvilath TJ, Resnikoff S, Global Prevalence of Myopia and High Myopia and Temporal Trends from 2000 through 2050, Ophthalmology, May 2016 Volume 123, Issue 5, Pages 1036–1042.

  3. https://mymyopia.com/infographic-understanding-your-childs-myopia