The prevalence of myopia (short sightedness) among children in the UK has more than doubled over the last 50 years according to recent findings from the largest UK study on children’s eyes since the 1960’s.
Eye Care professionals anticipate that myopia will become a major cause of blindness worldwide as the prevalence of visual impairment rapidly rises with increasing myopia, especially in old age.
The Risk factors, known to play a role in the development of myopia include family history, ethnicity, environment and binocular vision issues. The chances of developing myopia are 3x higher when one parent is myopic and 7x higher when both parents are myopic.
Light exposure is also thought to have a profound impact. Myopia progression increases in winter months and has much higher prevalence in urban settings, especially in children who spend more time indoors and perform more near work.
Regular examinations throughout childhood can ensure that we catch the earliest signs of myopia development. Research suggests that early intervention, with myopia control treatment such as orthokeratology can help slow down further increases.
If you are concerned about your / your child’s progressive myopia, there are several proven techniques which we can use for myopia control. click here for more information on myopia control or click here to make an appointment at our central London practice.
