Treatment of Childhood Myopia

Nearsightedness, also called myopia, in children is a vision condition in which a child can see near objects clearly, but objects farther away are blurry.

Most often, myopia is first detected between the ages of 6 and 12 and worsens during adolescence. The danger of this eye disorder in its tendency to progress which leads to further deterioration of vision. That is why at the first sign of nearsightedness, your child should get an eye exam immediately.

What Causes Myopia?

The main cause of myopia is changes in eyeball shape. Myopia develops when the eyeball grows longer and looks more like an oval than a circle. As a result, light rays bend (refract) the ‘wrong’ way, focusing images in front of the retina rather than on its surface.

Types of Myopia

There are congenital, hereditary and acquired myopia.

With congenital myopia a baby is born with poor distance vision. The parents can notice the first signs of this problem at the age of three months. A short-sighted infant is unable to fix his or her gaze on a toy or a bright object. Sometimes myopia is accompanied by strabismus.

If parents are near-sighted, there is the risk of hereditary tendency to myopia. among their children. If dad and mom are near-sighted, half of their kids are also diagnosed with this vision condition. Myopia can start and even progressively develop from the age of one year.

Acquired myopia occurs most often in children aged between 7 and 16 as a result of eye strain. It may be caused by intense visual stress when doing close visual work, bad posture while sitting at a desk, in front of a computer, watching TV for a long time.

How to Detect Myopia

Myopia (nearsightedness) can only be diagnosed by an ophthalmologist as part of a child`s eye exam. Therefore, it is important for children to undergo qualitative diagnostic tests so that their eye doctor could evaluate the condition of their eyes and pinpoint any problems. Since small children are sometimes unable to describe their vision problems properly, their parents should be attentive so that they don`t miss the early possible signs and symptoms of myopia. Among them are the following:

• the child squints in order to see distant objects;
• the child holds toys or other objects up close to his/her eyes;
• blinks excessively or wrinkles his/her forehead while focusing on distant objects;
• complains of tired eyes, headaches.

If you have even the slightest suspicion that your child is nearsighted, you should immediately contact an ophthalmologist.

Myopia Treatment

Okomedikas Clinic offers high-quality diagnostic tests to diagnose and evaluate any childhood eye problems, which allows to identify eye conditions and diseases in their early stages and prevent their further development.

The goal of treating nearsightedness is to change the refractive power of the eye in order to focus light onto a specific area of ​​the retina.

Okomedikas Clinic offers the following treatment options for childhood myopia:

• eye glasses;
• contact lenses;
• hardware vision treatment:
  • laser stimulation;
  • special computer programs for vision stimulation, as well as Breeze Eye Massager for the same;

If your child is myopic, the specialists of Okomedikas Clinic will help you choose the best vision correction options to stop the progression of the disease.

Preventing Myopia

Acquired myopia in children is the result of bad habits, as well as poorly planned pastime activities of a child. Several simple recommendations of ophthalmologists will help parents preserve their child’s vision and teach their kid to take care of his or her health.

1. When reading, writing, drawing, working on a computer or doing other activities that are straining the eyes it is important to keep a distance of at least 30 cm between the eyes and the object your kids are looking at. If not to keep the distance, this will cause eye muscles strain, their spasms and, as a result, temporary or “false” myopia, which can eventually develop into real myopia.
2. The eyes need a rest. Therefore, after every 30-40 minutes of focusing intensely on an activity, it is important to take short breaks. Children should not sit in front of a TV or computer for a long time. For elementary school students, the periods of their watching TV shows or working at a computer should be no longer than one and a half hours a day.
3. Do not allow your child to read or play games on their phone or tablet in a car or a bus. Doing so while lying down on their back or stomach is also harmful for their eyes.
4. It is important to encourage good posture in children. And this means teaching a child to keep their back straight, to strengthen their muscles by doing sport, and, of course, to choose an appropriate table and chair for their classes according to their height.
5. A nutritious and balanced diet is one of the most important conditions not only for eye health and eyesight, but also for growing bodies.
6. Outdoor games help train the eyes to see better and are most effective in preventing progression of myopia.
7. Children’s eyes must be protected from excessively bright light and direct exposure to ultraviolet radiation. So, in summer wearing wide brim panama hats or hats with bills would be highly advisable.
8. It is important to monitor lighting conditions in a child’s workplace. In order to maximize their access to sunlight, it is recommended to place their desk to the right side of a window, and turn on a desk lamp for their evening classes.

Highly qualified doctors of Okomedikas Clinic are always ready to perform an expert assessment of your child’s eyes and vision and give complete answers to any questions about kids` eye health.