Myopia Management
Who is affected by myopia?
Around a third of people in the UK are myopic. The condition usually starts in childhood (between six and 13 years of age) and tends to get worse until the eye has stopped growing. Myopia can also develop in younger children and adults. People are more likely to become myopic if their parents are also myopic.
What are the symptoms of myopia?
If your child is myopic, they will have problems seeing things in the distance clearly without glasses or contact lenses but will be able to see things that are close to them. There are varying degrees of myopia.
How is myopia treated?
Myopia is usually easy to correct with glasses or contact lenses (or both). Some adults with myopia have laser surgery to correct it. There are some treatments that slow down myopia during childhood. This is called myopia management.
How myopic may my child become?
The exact causes of myopia are not fully understood, so it is difficult to predict accurately how myopic any child may become in the future. Researchers know that the following things may make it more likely that a child will eventually become myopic:
• having one or both parents with myopia.
• being of east-Asian ethnic origin.
• spending limited time outdoors.
Becoming myopic before nine years old may increase the risk of developing a high level of myopia. If a person has a high level of myopia, they will be at a slightly greater risk of losing their sight later in life due to conditions such as retinal detachments, glaucoma and myopic retinal degeneration.
Can I reduce how myopic my child will become?
Trying to slow down how quickly myopia gets worse is called myopia management. A number of treatments have been developed for this, including specially designed contact lenses or glasses, and atropine eye drops, but not all are commonly available in the UK. Current evidence suggests that using special contact lenses , glasses or atropine eye drops may reduce the progression of myopia by 40% to 60% after one to two years (some manufacturers’ studies suggest a reduction in its progression over three years).
What does it matter if my child is very myopic as oppose to moderately myopic, they will still have to wear glasses or contact lenses anyway?
If myopia management is successful, this may mean your child grows up with a lower level of myopia than they would have had without treatment. This means that they may not depend on their glasses as much as they would otherwise have had to, and the prescription for their glasses will be lower, so their glasses will be thinner and lighter.
Being less myopic may mean your child is less likely to be affected by conditions such as retinal detachment and myopic retinal degeneration. Each additional 1 D of myopia is associated with a 58%, 20%, 21%, and 30% increase in the risk of myopic maculopathy, open-angle glaucoma, posterior subcapsular cataract, and retinal detachment, respectively.
Further Reading:
Myopia control effect of defocus incorporated multiple segments (DIMS) spectacle lens in Chinese children: results of a 3-year follow-up study:
https://bjo.bmj.com/content/early/2021/03/17/bjophthalmol-2020-317664
Defocus Incorporated Multiple Segments (DIMS) spectacle lenses slow myopia progression: a 2-year randomised clinical trial:
https://bjo.bmj.com/content/104/3/363
CooperVision Reports Five-Year Data from Landmark Pediatric Myopia Management Study:
https://coopervision.co.uk/coopervision-reports-five-year-data-landmark-pediatric-myopia
Will my child still need to wear glasses or contact lenses after myopia management?
It is very likely that your child will still need to wear glasses or contact lenses even if the treatment to manage their myopia has been successful. However, they should have a lower level of myopia than they may have had without myopia management.
How will I know whether myopia management is working?
Your child’s optometrist may use a calculator to help predict an expected level of myopia and so assess the reduction in the progression of myopia. However, it is not possible to know for certain how much the progression of your child’s myopia has been reduced and how successful their treatment has been.
When will my child be able to stop using myopia management?
There is not enough evidence from research to provide clear guidance on when and how to end the treatment. Health professionals currently believe that children should stop using myopia management in their late teens. Your child may need to continue to have treatment, or they may need to restart their treatment if their myopia starts to get worse again after their treatment has stopped.
Will myopia management prevent my child from losing their sight in adulthood?
Myopia management may reduce the risk of your child losing their sight as a result of high myopia in later life (when they are an adult), but it is very likely that there will still be some risk of myopia-related sight loss.
Will playing outdoors affect myopia in children?
An active lifestyle, particularly involving spending time outdoors, does appear to be helpful in preventing myopia.
What happens if I choose not to have myopia management treatment?
Your child will still be prescribed traditional glasses or contact lenses if they are diagnosed with myopia. These will improve how well your child can see but will not slow myopia progression. Your child may be at a higher risk of being affected by conditions that can lead to sight loss, but the risk of sight loss remains relatively low.
Does myopia management work for everyone?
Current evidence suggests that using special contact lenses , glasses or atropine eye drops may reduce the progression of myopia by 40% to 60% after one to two years (some manufacturers’ studies suggest a reduction in its progression over three years) but it is important to say this was the average reduction. There was a percentage of the participants (around 10%) in the studies that the myopia management treatment seemed to have little effect on their myopia progression.
If you would like your child to try Myopia Management with us, call us to make an appointment mentioning you are interested in Myopia Management.
All our myopia management treatment plans are paid for via direct debit (£41/month) which includes 6 monthly reviews and any change of glasses or contact lenses required.
Myopia Management Options
1) MiYOSMART spectacle lenses.
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This a non-invasive management of myopia, clinically proven to correct both myopia and provide effective management of myopic progression.
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Studies showed these lenses reduce myopia progression on average by 60% compared to those wearing traditional single vision lenses.
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They are made of a polycarbonate material with high impact resistance and therefore are safe and durable for active wear.
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They also provide comprehensive UV protection for the eyes.
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As standard they are water repellent so are easy to keep clean and have a special anti-reflective durable coating.
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They look the same as traditional glasses but change the focus in the peripheral vision.
2) Contact Lenses
There are two types of contact lenses which may be used to manage myopia:
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Soft daily disposable contact lenses:
Soft daily disposable contact lenses which have been designed to change the focus of light in the peripheral vision. Your child would wear these in a similar way to standard daily disposable contact lenses. Their vision may be slightly less clear with these than with traditional contact lenses.
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Orthokeratology (Ortho-K) or corneal-reshaping lenses:
Your child would be fitted with specially designed rigid gas permeable (RGP) lenses, which they would wear overnight. These lenses help to alter the shape of the cornea while your child sleeps, in order to temporarily reduce or correct mild myopia and reduce the progression of myopia.
3) No Treatment
Your child will be prescribed traditional glasses or contact lenses if they are diagnosed with myopia. The glasses or contact lenses will improve how well your child can see but will not slow myopia progression.
All our myopia management treatment plans are paid for via direct debit (£41/month) which includes 6 monthly reviews and any change of glasses or contact lenses required.