Nearsightedness. Not just a vision issue, a serious children’s health issue. Is your child at risk?

 Nearsightedness

Protecting Your Child’s Potential

Nearsightedness, also known as myopia, is a very common vision condition in which distant objects appear blurry or out of focus. Myopia is growing at epidemic rates worldwide, especially among children. It has grown by nearly 70% in the U.S. since 1971. If current trends continue, it is anticipated that 50% of the world’s population will be myopic by 2050.
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Myopia can develop as early as 6 to 8 years of age and get progressively worse until the late teens.  Nearsightedness is caused both by genetics and lifestyle factors- like excessive tablet and digital device usage.

Common symptoms of nearsightedness in children include:
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- Squinting and excessive blinking. Frequent eye rubbing.
- Sitting close to screens or the whiteboard in school.
- Holding books/tablets very close while reading.
- Poor classroom performance and grades.
- Unaware of distant objects.

Nearsightedness has been shown to negatively impact a child’s quality of life in the following ways:  

- Lower self-esteem and social skills.
- Below average classroom performance.  
- Lack of participation in sports.   

As myopia progresses and prescriptions get stronger, so do the risks of serious vision issues later in life, including: 

- Retinal detachments.  
- Macular degeneration.   
- Premature cataracts.  
- Glaucoma.  

‍Interventional Treatments
Today, there are more treatment options for myopia than ever before available to your child that not only address vision correction but slow the progression of the disease over time – managing the risk of serious vision conditions later in life.  These include myopia management spectacles, specialty contact lenses and prescription eye drops.  However, all Optometrists provide these solutions.  Only those Optometrists who specialize in myopia management and have been trained and certified offer these innovative solutions for your child.‍‍
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