Myopia Control Clinic

Myopia is having a Minus prescription in glasses. With excessive near work and very less outdoor play we are putting lot of stress on the visual system. This is the cause for more children becoming Myopic. Use of gadgets is more, studies involve so much of close work in smaller class rooms or smaller houses that it is estimated by 2050, half of the world population will become Myopic. When we become Myopic, other than the Psychological issues associated with it, many vision threatening complications develop in late adulthood.

These could be manageable one like cataract and Glaucoma to more serious ones which could lead to legal blindness like Retinal detachment and Myopic Maculopathy. The probability of developing these complications multiplies with the amount of minus prescription required. Hence the time to act is NOW. Start your child on Myopia control as soon as possible so that the possibility of future problems due to high Myopia becomes less. with various methods and frequently a combination of lifestyle changes Myopia can be controlled from ‘40% upto 90%.

Life of a Myope is difficult to understand for a person who is not wearing glasses. Myopia is associated with the child becoming an introvert, always dependent on glasses for clear vision.Playing sports like swimming is always an issue. Luckily the most successful method of Myopia in Majority of cases is Orthokeraology or the night wear contact lenses. One of the good side effects of this therapy is that the child doesn’t require his glasses during the daytime to see clearly. It is like charging the eyes at night to use them during the day!

There are various options to control progressing Myopia. Most widely used by top Myopia control practitioners across the world is Orthokeraology or night wear contact lenses. But these have to be customised as ready lenses from various companies may not work as well. The risks associated can be summed up by the sentence – A -5.00 D Myope is 4 times most likely to suffer from Myopia related complication in adulthood than contact lens related complication at young age.

For few children binocular vision therapy is required to control the Myopia. This is most often an additional therapy along with others.Specially designed spectacle lenses would also help in Myopia control. Yet to be launched in India.

Atropine eye drops diluted to a safe extent, when used once at night gives good Myopia control. Few studies indicate that though Atropine controls Myopia well, it doesn’t help much in slowing down the axial growth of the eye balls, which is the main reason for future complications. Also it is considered to be very safe, however long term safety is not known.

Myopia epidemic is growing its tentacles on our children which may affect there future. We aim to create awareness about this and with early intervention, which to make our small contribution towards making the future of today’s children as bright.