Myopia Management

Myopia (short-sightedness) is a common eye problem. Sight difficulties caused by myopia can usually be corrected with prescription glasses or contact lenses, but myopia can also affect people’s eye health in other ways.

There are several treatments designed to manage (slow down) the progression of myopia, particularly in children and young people. These treatments have advantages and disadvantages.

What is myopia?

Myopia happens when the eye focuses light in front of
the retina (the light-sensitive layer of cells at the back of the eyeball), rather than on it. This means that distant objects will be blurred, but close objects will be clear. The most common way to correct this is with glasses or contact lenses which refocus light onto the retina. If your child is very myopic (short-sighted) and this is left uncorrected, their distance vision will be poor.

Myopia can develop at any age, but it is more likely to begin in childhood. Once myopia begins to develop it usually continues to get worse until young adulthood, but will sometimes stabilise before then. The development

of myopia has been linked to different factors, including family history, ethnic background, environment (particularly living in cities and spending a lot of time indoors) and spending a lot of time carrying out close-up tasks. (See reference 1 at the end of the document.)

What are the risks of myopia?

Being myopic increases the risk of certain conditions, and this risk increases the more myopic you are (see reference 2). If your child has myopia, they are more at risk of developing the following conditions at some point during their life.

Myopic maculopathy — This refers to a condition which damages the central vision. If your child has a large degree of myopia they are at a greater risk of developing myopic maculopathy.

Retinal detachment — This is where the retina pulls away from the other layers of the eye. It can lead to permanent sight loss if it is not treated quickly. Higher levels of myopia increase the risk of this happening.

Cataracts — This is where the lens of the eye becomes cloudy. Cataracts are very common and mostly develop
in older age. There is some evidence that suggests higher levels of myopia mean cataracts may develop at a younger age. Treatment for cataracts is normally straightforward and effective.

Glaucoma — This is a condition where the optic nerve becomes damaged. It affects the peripheral vision (side vision) first, but can lead to severe sight loss. There is some evidence that myopia may slightly increase the risk of developing glaucoma.

What is myopia management?

Myopia management is a name for any process that tries to limit how myopic a patient becomes. This involves either prescribing an appliance, such as contact lenses, that changes the way the eye focuses light, or using medication to change how quickly the eye grows. Both methods are designed to help the eye grow in a way that focuses light more accurately. Myopia management does not cure or reduce myopia, but aims to slow down the rate at which it gets worse.

Myopia Plan at JB Coad Opticians

The eye grows rapidly until early adulthood, so myopia management will usually be continued until your child is at least 17 years old. If myopia management is stopped before your child’s eye has stopped growing, the myopia may start to get worse again.

Myopia management plan is a monthly direct debit scheme which covers your chosen form of myopia management. It is designed to help you save money and spread the cost.

Within the plan we can switch between management strategies (if necessary) without it changing your monthly payments.

Our Team will help guide you to decide the best treatment for you and your needs.

Myopia Plan = £48 per month