The Rise of Digital Eyestrain and How to Avoid It

Digital devices have become part of our everyday lives. We use them for work, study, reading, playing and communicating with loved ones. For many of us, our read more

What can I do if my child or teenager is shortsighted? 

Myopia or shortsight is an increasing vision problem worldwide and it is no different in Australia. Traditional corrections like sight correcting lenses do not slow down the increases, and recent studies indicate that in some individuals the progression may even be greater in glasses compared to no glasses at all.  The important thing to understand is that progression occurs with and without glasses and can result in more serious eye health consequences in adulthood.

One method of treatment is Ortho-K.

Orthokeratology or Ortho-K is a treatment that has been used by optometrists for many decades as a method to correct sight.  However, there has been growing evidence over the last 10 years or so that is demonstrating that Ortho-K slows down increases in myopia in children and teens when compared to more conventional methods of correction.

Orthokeratology is a type of contacts lens only worn at night fitted by an experienced practitioner. It is custom fitted to each and every patient, once they understand the pro’s and con’s, what alternatives are available and the necessary safety information.

The additional benefits on lifestyle are similar to contact lens wear.  The removal of spectacles has also been linked in contact lens studies to an improvement how teenagers view themselves and so has a positive impact on self esteem.   No glasses is easier for sport, particular in games where glasses are actively discouraged.

Short-sight or near-sight are common terms for myopia.  Put simply, myopia occurs when the eyeball grows long, thus causing distant objects to become blurred.  It is a progressive condition throughout childhood and teenage years, slowing down in adulthood. Family history and lifestyle factors both play a part in the progression of myopia.

The most common treatment is to simply use glasses, contact lenses or laser surgery to correct the defocus and regain distance sight.  But none of these options actually slow the increase in prescription that people with short-sight are used to.

Continued progression of myopia has a negative impact on lifestyle and can increase the incidence of eye disease such as retinal detachment and glaucoma, therefore slowing the progression of myopia has been of great interest to optometrists for many years.  Previous methods have usually only produced small reductions in myopia progression. However, new technology and research has provided people with new ways of seeing that not only are great lifestyle choices, but also have the additional benefit of reducing the likelihood of myopia progression.

One of the newest is MiSightTM contact lenses with ActivControlTM Technology.  MiSightTM lenses are daily disposable contact lenses designed to deliver good distance vision but also reduce the likelihood of myopia progression.  Daily disposable means single use – no cleaning or worrying about lost lenses.  ActivControlTM Technology means there are special treatment zones in the lens designed to provide the eye with the right sort of image to control myopia progression.  Even young children are known to wear contact lenses successfully, resulting in increased social acceptance and participation in sporting activities (this is particularly important as increased outdoor activity is associated with less myopia).

MiSightTM contact lenses are recommended for children and teens who are already shortsighted.  Anyone who is already shortsighted or has at least one parent who is short-sighted should be regularly assessed due to the increased risk of myopia progression.  Contact lenses must be fitted and worn under the guidance of an experienced optometrist to ensure proper handling and application to avoid complications.

If you have any questions about the exciting new technologies for myopia control with MiSightTM or Orthokeratology please call 5520 5900.

Gone are the days of “simple sight-correcting glasses” for myopia, says Paul Graham, an Optometrist from Harmony Vision.

What is Myopia?

Myopia, also known as “short-sight” is a condition that makes it difficult to see clearly at long distances. The condition often begins in childhood or teenage years, and may continue into adulthood. In the past, the condition was simply corrected with glasses, contact lenses or laser eye surgery that made things far away clear again. “The problem with this solution,” says Paul, “is that each year patients find themselves seeking stronger and stronger lenses, in order to keep up with their worsening sight”. It seems that even though glasses treat the symptoms of blurred sight, they do nothing to necessarily treat the underlying cause of the degeneration.

New Research read more

Gifted children present interesting challenges when it comes to vision problems.  The two main vision problems important to screen and monitor for in this goup of children are shortsight (myopia) and visual dysfunctions.

Visual Dysfunctions

There needs to be more research into the impact of visual dysfunction in this group of children. Reductions in performance, attention and concentration from undiagnosed vision problems may not be as obvious in this group of children due to the fact that may continue to achieve and complete work more quickly and to a higher standard than their age peers.  Whether they are working to their own individual potential may be overlooked for this reason.  Some will simply keeping working despite symptoms of blur, movement of print, or headaches and sore eyes.

Some visual dysfunctions like convergence insufficiency and accommodation dysfunction do not create blur but instead result in inconsistent performance or a drop in concentration.  Some children might seem to grasp concepts quickly, but can’t seem to stick at doing prolonged writing tasks. These behaviours are often blamed on reasons other than vision because the child can still see the board okay.

Visual dysfunctions like convergence insufficiency and accommodation dysfunction are easily treated with  reading lenses and/or vision therapy/training.  In rarer cases, some children benefit further from colour lenses, particularly if light sensitive or sensitive to patterns.

Myopia or Shortsight

Research demonstrates that there is an association of increase levels of myopia in children with above average intelligence.  Traditionally myopia is simply managed by prescribing glasses to make the board clear.  This does nothing to slow the progression of the shortsight and the child needs to keep getting stronger lenses.  More recently treatments like Ortho-K and MiSight contact lenses are proving to slow the myopia progression in some children and thus reducing the sight deteroriation that they would otherwise experience.

Because gifted children often do well in school, it doesn’t mean they don’t deserve to have the opportunity to make sure that vision assisting and not interfering with their ability to reach their own potential.