Myopia or short-sightedness causes blurry vision in the distance. It usually begins in childhood and is more common in children who have a myopic parent, although sometimes there is no family history.

Myopia is increasing worldwide with some calling this a ‘myopia boom’. This phenomenon is most striking in the East Asia where 90% of Chinese teenagers and young adults are myopic. Prevalence has also doubled within a century in Europe and in Australian 12 year olds, it doubled between 2006 and 2011! This is a worrying public health issue, as short sight is connected with a number of more serious eye problems in later life such as retinal detachment, cataract, glaucoma and maculopathy. With every increase in myopia, the risk of developing these conditions increases. We expect that our children will live longer than us and we need to do all we can to preserve their vision!

We are proud that Rawlings Opticians & Hearing Care were selected to be among the first opticians in the UK to have access to MiSight® 1 day, Naturalvue and Mylo contact lenses, all new treatments to slow down the rate at which myopia progresses. In addition, we are also in the first group to have access to a revolutionary spectacle lens treatment, MiYOSMART from Hoya.

Why is myopia increasing?

Parental history, ethnicity, environment (living indoors in cities) and spending longer each day on near tasks have all been linked to the onset and progression of myopia.

Because myopia is increasing globally, much research has been done to try and find ways to stop or slow down progression of myopia. Unfortunately no ‘cure’ has been found, and although most children stop getting more and more short-sighted as they leave their teens, there is no way to completely stop short sight increasing.

However, success has been achieved in slowing down the rate of progression meaning that the end result in most cases is a less short-sighted prescription. The earlier treatment is started the better, although it is never too late.

Is my child at risk?

Online questionnaires are available for free at mykidsvision.org and myopiacare.org which uses an algorithm taking into account age, current glasses prescription, family history and other factors to assess the risk of progressive myopia. More information on myopia and myopia management can also be found on myopiafocus.org. Please also consider signing the change.org/myopiafocus campaign to get the NHS to recognise myopia as an ocular disease and fund Myopia Management for Children.

What are the treatments?

Firstly there is one thing that all parents can do straight away to help their child – get them to spend more time outdoors! Studies have shown that increasing outdoor time slows myopia progression and there is ongoing research to find out why this is, and whether the quality of the light the child is exposed to is important. A good time to aim for is 2 hours per day outdoors.

Alternatively there are more technical methods which are of proven benefit:

• MiSight® 1 day specialist daily disposable lenses are specifically developed for this purpose and have the best scientific evidence of success
• NaturalvueMF and Mylo soft contact lenses are also specifically used for this purpose
• MiYOSMART spectacle lenses are a specific myopia treatment lens launched in the UK in February 2021
• Specialist rigid (hard) overnight contact lenses (orthokeratology, sometimes called Ortho K)
• Daily wear of dual focus or multifocal soft contact lenses have also been shown to reduce the rate of myopia progression
• A small number of myopic children with a particular eye muscle co-ordination issue respond to bifocal spectacles
• Pharmacological therapy, using eye drops to affect the focussing. This treatment is not currently available in the UK as drug safety trials are still underway

The internet is awash with ‘miracle cures’ for all sorts of conditions and it is important to note that any other treatments you may have read about for example behavioural therapy, eye exercises, pinhole glasses, have not been clinically proven to slow myopia progression with rigorously controlled scientific studies.

What can Rawlings offer?

Rawlings are leaders in the field of Myopia Management and Myopia Control. All our clinical staff are qualified in this subject, with attendance at national and international conferences. Our commitment and expertise in this field led to Rawlings being chosen to be the first group in the UK to have access to many of the emerging new treatments including MiSight contact lenses and MiYOSMART glasses. Our clinical staff can discuss the available options with you and your child during your appointment to decide on the best course of action.

MiSight® 1 day lenses are daily disposable soft lenses that are worn for 10 hours each day with a new fresh pair being used every day. They are soft and comfortable to wear and children adapt very quickly to them and often much quicker than adults! These lenses can usually be fitted to young children, but there are proven benefits regardless of the age of the child, although the earlier in the development of myopia, the greater the overall end result will be.

Orthokeratology (Eyedream) overnight lenses are also offered at our Winchester branch and studies have shown effectivity in myopia management. Winchester welcome patients from other branches or from other opticians.

All contact lenses, like other therapies, only slow down the progression of myopia and it will be unlikely to stop it. Pre-existing myopia will not be reversed. However, these lenses cost only a few pounds more than conventional soft contact lenses which will not slow down myopic progression. Contact us to book an appointment.

MiYOSMART glasses lenses from HOYA use cutting edge technology to help manage the development of Myopia (also known as short-sightedness). They are clinically proven to be an effective solution to slow down the progression of myopia and are as easy to wear as any pair of children's glasses. Based on two-year clinical trial results, MiYOSMART is proven to curb myopia progression in children on average by 60% with its award-winning D.I.M.S. (Defocus Incorporated Multiple Segments) technology. You can read more about MiYOSMART on our dedicated webpage here.