Keep an Eye on Myopia

This is officially Myopia Awareness Week – a global problem for children’s vision – including NZ.  The treatment options for myopia, and to slow the vision changes, are improving every year, making regular eye examinations an important part of children’s health checks. 

The children particularly at risk are those with myopic parents, or children and teens who spend a lot of time either reading, or on screens.  For most young people, if they aren’t bookworms, they are pretty keen on their screen time.

The conversations about how to improve the vision and future myopia risks of eye health damage, for our young people are a regular part of our optometrists day –with both parents, and the young people who we see for eye examinations.

“In the last few years, there has been an incredibly concerted effort from leading researchers and producers of eye health technology to develop robust treatment methods for slowing myopia progression. We are now at a critical stage in the effort to curb myopia, where we have the tools to create meaningful change. It is now time to engage ... putting to use the incredible bodies of research and advancements in technology that are pushing the case for a world where half the population doesn’t need to be impacted by this debilitating eye disease,” said Yvette Waddell, CEO, Brian Holden Vision Institute (BHVI).

The BHVI is based in Australia, is a world class organisation working to reduce the progression of myopia . Here in NZ, we pay attention to the research and recommendations, and we are fortunate to have access to several evidence based treatments to help slow the progression of myopia.  Please book your child or teen in for a regular eye examination if they haven’t had comprehensive check in the past year.