Myopia: Gone are the days when wearing spectacles was a taboo in our society. Now, things have drastically changed. Most children, from their primary school days only, end up wearing spectacles.
The first sign? When they complain about struggling to see the class board clearly from the last bench. This condition, usually observed in children, is called Myopia, or nearsightedness. Here, the child is able to see things that are close to them but struggles to see the things placed a little farther.
Nowadays, people aren’t really afraid of Myopia anymore. This is primarily because it’s increasingly becoming very common. But then again, this should not make your approach casual towards it.
So, to enlighten you about Myopia, we have rounded up a list of 5 things you probably didn’t know about this condition:
Table of Contents
1. It is increasing steadily
Almost 42% of Americans among the age group of 12 to 52 are found to be Myopic. That is how quickly it is growing in prevalence! This percentage is 25% more than what used to be, back in 1971.
Although tapping the exact reason behind this spike is quite difficult, the role of technology and digitization is large to be blamed. Individual genetics are also equally liable, if not more.
If both parents are myopic, the chances of their child being nearsighted are always high. And thanks to the technological trap that we are in, this percentage will not be going down anytime sooner.
2. How does it happen?
There is actually a very scientific yet basic explanation to help you understand why one is Myopic. In most cases, Myopia actually happens when your eyeballs expand lengthwise, i.e., from front to back.
Normally, when light enters a person’s eye, it is focused directly on the retina, allowing clear vision. But in the case of Myopia, due to the excessively long eyeball, when light enters, it is focused on the front of the eyeball that creates blurred vision.
The reason why Myopia can never go away is that obviously, it is impossible to shrink the size of your eyeball.
3. Risk of other eye diseases
The prime reason why Myopia in children shouldn’t be taken lightly is that Myopia does increase the risk of other eye diseases, especially when your child ages.
Other eye diseases include Cataracts, Macular Degeneration, Retinal Detachments, and Glaucoma – all of which could lead to potential blindness. The odds of getting such diseases highly increase when the eye-power crosses the 4-mark!
4. Slowing the progression
Until you opt for Laser or Lasik treatments, it is almost impossible to get your eyes back to normal. But what can be done, and preferably should be done, is to invest conscious efforts to slow down the progression of Myopia until your eyeballs eventually stop growing.
You should make it a point to spend some time each day outdoors. Children who spend 90 minutes or more out in the sunlight have naturally shown slower rates of Myopic progression.
Give your eyes enough time to relax, especially if you are closely involved with blue-light emitting devices such as laptops, computers, phones, and tablets. Aim for breaks to get water, or just simply admiring the nature around you rather than just viewing your screens.
Also, when working, do not close in your face with the devices and try maintaining a good distance. Work in a well-lit place, so that you don’t have to put stress in your eyes.
5. What else?
With such rates of Myopia, accessories like Bifocal Lenses, Atropine Eye Drops, and Orthokeratology Lenses have arrived. Each of these accessories offers something different, but ultimately, all aim at slowing down the progression of Myopia.
If you want to go for them, we recommend you do your research about Kansas city lasik surgery and then consult your ophthalmologist before making your purchase.
to you…
When it comes to Myopia, children sometimes do not share that they are having trouble seeing, for different reasons. In fact, most of the kids do not even feel that nearsightedness is an issue – they think it’s normal. Here, we cited the 5 major things about Myopia that should not be ignored. For more insight into this, get an appointment booked with your ophthalmologist as soon as you can.
