As a parent, your child's well-being is a top priority, and that includes their eye health. Myopia, or nearsightedness, has become increasingly prevalent among Canadian children.1 But the good news is that myopia progression is manageable, and you can make changes to slow the progression of your child's myopia.2 In this article, we’ll discuss what can happen if we leave myopia unmanaged, discuss lifestyle changes that can positively impact myopia outcomes, and discuss how CooperVision® products complement these strategies.
What happens when myopia is left unmanaged?
Before delving into lifestyle changes, it's crucial to understand the potential consequences of leaving myopia unmanaged. Myopia isn’t merely a blurry distance vision issue, meaning you can’t see distant objects clearly; it can significantly affect your child's long-term eye health. If left unmanaged, myopia can lead to various sight-threatening conditions,3 including the following eye health complications.
Retinal detachment
Myopia progression heightens the risk of retinal detachment, a severe condition that can lead to permanent vision loss.4 The elongation of the eye characteristic of myopia can strain the retina, increasing vulnerability to detachment, where the retina peels away from the underlying tissues.4
Myopic maculopathy
Myopic maculopathy targets the macula, the retina's central region responsible for sharp, detailed vision.5 As myopia worsens, the increased stress on the eye can damage the macula, resulting in significant central vision impairment.5
Glaucoma
Myopia is a recognized risk factor for glaucoma, which harms the optic nerve.6 Elevated intraocular pressure, often associated with myopia, can contribute to glaucoma development and potential vision loss.6
Cataracts
Individuals with myopia face an elevated risk of developing cataracts.7 Cataracts cloud the eye's natural lens, typically occurring more frequently and earlier in life among those with myopia.7
This can further impede clear vision, compounding myopia-related vision challenges.
Managing the worsening of myopia is essential to protect your child's vision and eye health from these long-term effects.
Lifestyle changes that impact myopia progression
Lifestyle changes may help manage your child's myopia effectively. These changes may include the following.
Outdoor time
Encourage your child to spend more time outdoors, engaging in sports and play. Research links increased outdoor can protect children from developing myopia.8
Reduce screen time
Limit screen time, especially on digital devices. Adhering to the "20-20-20" rule—taking a twenty-second break to look at something twenty feet away every twenty minutes—significantly reduces eye strain caused by prolonged screen use.9
Proper lighting
Ensure your child has sufficient lighting when reading or studying. Good lighting minimizes eye strain, aiding in comfortable focus.10
Healthy diet
A balanced diet rich in nutrients like vitamin C and omega-3 fatty acids supports overall eye health.11 These nutrients contribute to maintaining healthy eyes and may assist in managing myopia.11
Regular eye exams
Schedule regular eye exams for your child with an optometrist to catch any problems. Early intervention and ongoing myopia control* treatment can play a role in slowing the progression of your child's myopia.12
Treatment changes
In addition to lifestyle changes, treatment options for myopia control* and management go far beyond the regular single-vision eyeglasses and/or contact lenses. One practical option is CooperVision® MiSight® 1 day contact lenses.
The CooperVision® commitment
CooperVision® MiSight® 1 day contact lenses are designed to slow the progression of myopia in age-appropriate children.13†
The commitment CooperVision® has to scientific research and development has led to the creation of MiSight® 1 day contact lenses, clinically proven13 and FDA-approved* for myopia control.13†
Choose CooperVision® to slow the worsening of myopia
Myopia is a manageable condition, and, as a parent, you can take proactive steps to slow its progression and protect your child's eye health. Implementing lifestyle changes, like increasing outdoor time, reducing screen time, ensuring proper lighting, maintaining a healthy diet, and scheduling regular eye exams, are essential.
CooperVision® MiSight® 1 day contact lenses offer a valuable complement to these efforts. Their proven efficacy13 in myopia control* and convenience may help ensure your child's myopia progresses slower,13 reducing the risk of sight-threatening complications.14
Remember, myopia is irreversible15 and typically progresses rapidly in younger children,16 so it's important to start treatment as soon as possible.12 By taking these steps, you're investing in your child’s future. Myopia management is about improving their vision and safeguarding their long-term eye health. Contact CooperVision® to find a qualified eye-care professional today.
* U.S. Indications for Use: MiSight® 1 day (omafilcon A) soft (hydrophilic) contact lenses for daily wear are indicated for the correction of myopic ametropia and for slowing the progression of myopia in children with non-diseased eyes, who at the initiation of treatment are 8-12 years of age and have a refraction of -0.75 to 4.00 diopters (spherical equivalent) with ≤ 0.75 diopters of astigmatism. The lens is to be discarded after each removal. Canadian Indications for Use: MiSight (omafilcon A) Soft Contact Lenses for Myopia Control may reduce the rate of myopia progression in children (6-18) and correct ametropia. Reduction of myopia progression was observed in children with wearing time of 12 hours (8-16 hours) per day, 6.4 days (5-7) per week in a clinical study. Permanent myopia control after lens treatment is discontinued is not supported by clinical studies. MiSight (omafilcon A) Soft Contact Lenses for Myopia Control are indicated for single use daily disposable wear. When prescribed for daily disposable wear, the lens is to be discarded after each removal.
† Compared to a single vision one-day lens over a three-year period.
Sources
- https://www.fightingblindness.ca/news/how-myopia-affects-children
- https://www.mykidsvision.org/knowledge-centre/what-is-myopia-control-and-why-its-important
- Flitcroft DI. The complex interactions of retinal, optical and environmental factors in myopia aetiology. Prog Retin Eye Res. 2012 Nov;31(6):622-60.
- https://www.allaboutvision.com/conditions/retinadetach.htm
- https://www.allaboutvision.com/conditions/refractive-errors/myopic-macular-degeneration/
- https://www.allaboutvision.com/conditions/primary-open-angle-glaucoma/
- https://www.allaboutvision.com/conditions/cataracts/faq-posterior-subcapsular-cataract/
- https://www.nature.com/articles/s41433-018-0015-5
- https://www.mykidsvision.org/knowledge-centre/the-childhood-visual-environment
- https://opto.ca/eye-health-library/why-proper-lighting-important-while-reading
- https://optom.on.ca/nutritionmonthblog/
- https://opto.ca/eye-health-library/myopia-nearsightedness
- Chamberlain P et al A 3-year Randomized Clinical Trial of MiSight® Lenses for Myopia Control. Optom Vis Sci 2019; 96:556-567.
- Tideman JW et al. Association of axial length with risk of uncorrectable visual impairment for Europeans with myopia. JAMA Ophthalmol. 2016;134:1355-1363.
- https://www.mykidsvision.org/knowledge-centre/myopia-myths-and-treatments-for-short-sightedness
- K. Zadnik, G.L. Mitchell, L.A. Jones, D.O. Mutti; Factors Associated with Rapid Myopia Progression in School-aged Children . Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci. 2004;45(13):2306.