Myopic parents - why wait?

We know that our kids inherit all sorts of interesting genetic traits from us.  As a parent you gradually realise that not only will your kids likely follow with your height, or colouring, but also your eyes.  Chances are high that if you are myopic (short-sighted), that your kids will also likely develop this trait too.  Having one parent who is myopic doubles the chance your child will also develop myopia, but having both parents myopic, the risk increases 5 times!

But parents can’t take all the blame for their kids myopia, there are other factors too.  The environment of the child will affect their eyes, and likelihood of developing myopia.  Remember the bookworm (maybe you are/were one), spending long periods of time on close work is associated with myopia.  While there is varied evidence on time spent on screens, we are watching a generation spend more time viewing close up – books or screens than ever before.

You might have heard that time spent outside is protective for young eyes developing myopia.  The exact “why” is still being researched, however it is an easy recommendation for Kiwi kids.  More time outdoors seems to result in less myopia, with 2 hours a day being the recommendation.  We think in Wellington with our weather, sometimes it might have to be 14 hours over a week!
At primary school, our children seem to get this outside time, between lunch breaks, sport and walking to school.  Once at college this seems to drop off, with inside lunch breaks and time huddled over screens.  Some sports choices also mean that active kids might not actually be outdoors – think swimming, dance, karate – vs football, cricket, netball and hockey.

Previously the standard approach to myopia was to provide glasses, and see if things changed – and if they do, just make the glasses stronger.  The big change in thinking now is to consider the risks for each child/teenager with myopia, and so a consultation at age 6 is the first starting point for assessing likely future risks. 

Why wait?  As there is new and developing research on treatments to slow myopia progression, this is becoming the new standard of care for our young clients.  The options include different lens types in their glasses, soft contact lenses with different peripheral optics or a nightly eye drop of very weak atropine.
Myopia management requires a very individualised approach, and there are options, which we customise to each person.  The earlier this approach is started, the better – why wait until their myopia is bad? The sooner the progression to higher myopia is slowed or stalled, the better!

Lastly, we occasionally have a parent pointing out that “it’s ok” their child can just have laser surgery when they’re older, and it will all be fixed.  While the surgery will likely “fix” the need for glasses or contact lenses, the eye has not changed on the inside.  The myopic eye has stretched longer, and the eye is now at much higher lifetime risk for conditions such as cataracts, glaucoma, retinal detachment and myopic maculopathy.  The higher the myopia, the higher the likelihood of these conditions.  For those of us adults who are already myopic, we can’t change this, but how exciting to be able to help the next generation have better vision and lifelong eye health.