Myopia Cure Lens
Nearsightedness ( myopia ) is corrected with lenses called “minus power lenses.” They are concave-shaped and help the eyes focus light properly. Myopia causes a person to see distant objects as blurry. Prescription eyeglasses or contact lenses can usually correct this blurry distant vision. Minus lenses are concave in shape. In other words, they are thinnest at the center and thicker at the edge. This lens shape moves the focus of light from in front of the retina directly onto its surface. This shift corrects the blurry distance vision caused by nearsightedness.
- The power of a lens that corrects myopia is measured in units called diopters (D).
- The lens powers on an eyeglass prescription for myopia always begin with a minus sign.
- The higher the power number of the lens, the more myopia it corrects.
- For example, a -6.00 D lens corrects twice the amount of nearsightedness as a -3.00 D lens.
High-index lenses are typically recommended for correcting nearsightedness greater than -3.00 diopters. They are thinner and lighter than regular plastic lenses, so they are more attractive and comfortable. Also, anti-reflective (AR) coating is highly recommended for lenses that correct nearsightedness.
- AR coating prevents distracting reflections in the lenses and improves vision and comfort.
- Eyeglasses tend to be more well tolerated than contact lenses.
- They are usually the first line of myopia correction for this reason.
- But contact lenses are also successful in correcting myopia.
- With either option, the most important factor is wearing the correct lens prescription.
Regular eye exams are critical to ensure the myopia is not undercorrected. For children with progressive myopia, standard eyeglasses and contact lenses may not be the best first choice. The standard prescription lenses used for myopia correction do not help to slow myopia progression.
In these cases, myopia control eyeglasses or myopia control contact lenses may be the better option. These specialized lenses are designed specifically to slow myopia progression. They are able to slow the elongation of the eyes, which is the most common cause of myopia progression. To determine the best vision correction options for your needs, schedule an eye exam with an eye doctor near you,
Page published on Thursday, January 10, 2019 Medically reviewed on Thursday, January 20, 2022
Contents
Which lens is used to cure myopia?
Statement1: Myopia is corrected by the use of the concave lens.
Can myopia be treated by lens?
How is myopia treated? – Glasses or contact lenses can correct myopia in children and adults. For adults only (with rare exceptions for children), there are several types of refractive surgeries that can also correct myopia. With myopia, your prescription for glasses or contact lenses is a negative number, such as -3.00.
Eyeglasses. The most popular way for most people to correct myopia is with eyeglasses, Depending on the degree of vision correction needed, you will wear eyeglasses either daily — or only for when distance vision is needed. You may only need glasses for driving. Some kids with myopia may only need glasses to play ball, watch a movie or view the chalkboard. Some people may need to wear glasses constantly to see clearly, A single-vision lens will make distance vision clearer. But patients over 40 who have myopia may require a bifocal or progressive lens to see clearly both near and far. Contact lenses. Some people find that their distance vision is sharper and wider with contact lenses, A potential downside is they require more care to keep clean. Ask your provider which type might be right for your myopia level and other refractive errors. Ortho-k or CRT. Some people with mild myopia may be candidates for temporary corneal refractive contact lenses that you wear to bed to reshape the cornea temporarily, long enough to see for your daily activities. LASIK is a laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis procedure, the most common surgery to correct nearsightedness. In a LASIK procedure, your ophthalmologist uses a laser to cut a flap through the top of the cornea, reshape the inner corneal tissue and then drops the flap back into place. LASEK is a laser-assisted subepithelial keratectomy procedure. In a LASEK procedure, your ophthalmologist uses a laser to cut a flap through only the top layer (epithelium) of the cornea, reshapes the outer layers, and then closes the flap. PRK is short for photorefractive keratectomy, which is a type of laser eye surgery used to correct mild or moderate nearsightedness, and may also be used to correct farsightedness and/or astigmatism, In a PRK procedure your ophthalmologist uses a laser to reshape the surface of your cornea, which flattens it and allows light rays to focus on the retina. Unlike LASIK, the ophthalmologist does not cut a flap. PRK is preferred for patients with corneas that are thinner or have a rough surface because it disrupts less corneal tissue than a comparable LASIK surgery. Phakic intraocular lenses are an option for patients who have high myopia or whose corneas are too thin for PRK or LASIK. Phakic intraocular lenses are placed inside the eye just in front of the natural lens. Intraocular lens implant allows your ophthalmologist to surgically insert a new lens in your eye, replacing your natural one. This procedure is done before a cataract develops. Vision therapy is an option if your myopia is caused by spasms of your focusing muscles. You can strengthen the muscles through eye exercises and improve your focus.
How much does MiYOSMART cost?
Hoya’s game changing myopia control technology is now available at Family Eyecare: read on to find out how this could help reduce or even halt your child’s prescription changes! What is myopia? Myopia is commonly referred to as short-sightedness, generally meaning you can see clearly close by but not at a distance.
- This is denoted by a minus sign (-) on the prescription.
- Depending on the degree of myopia, you may wear spectacles all the time, or just for certain tasks e.g.
- Watching TV or driving,
- Approximately a third of the population is myopic, but this figure varies by ethnicity and country, with some populations having much larger figures.
Myopia is increasingly common amongst younger children. Research suggests that by 2050, approximately half of the planet will be myopic. What is myopia control? The field of myopia control is one that has seen great advances in the last few years. The idea is to slow down the changes in myopia, which generally happen frequently in adolescence and teenage years.
Until recently, the only available forms of myopia control were contact lens based. This meant that for children who were unable to wear contact lenses (either because of personal preference, age or maturity), there was no option available. In the last couple of years, there are now spectacle options, the most famous of which is MiyoSmart from Hoya, a Japanese lens company.
Essilor, a French brand, also have their own version of a myopia control lens called Stellest. How does it work? Essentially, the lens works by giving very clear central vision, and peripheral defocus. This defocus is generally not noticeable (i.e. your child will not notice the peripheral blurriness after a short period of adaptation), but it is clinically proven to slow axial length growth (i.e.
- The rate at which the eye grows) and therefore slow the rate of myopia increase significantly.
- Who is this suitable for? Generally, young children, adolescents and teenagers tend to see the largest increases in myopia.
- If your child is seeing large increases in their prescription every time they visit the optician, they would be an ideal candidate to be fitted with myopia control lenses.
Miysomart lenses are available if your child’s spectacle prescription is under -10.00DS and less than 4.00DC (astigmatism) and 3 dioptres in prism. The vast majority of prescriptions fall in these parameters. Hoya’s research shows that about half of children showed a significant slowdown in their rate of prescription changes, and about a fifth showed no change at all (over two years).
Our own experience thus far at Family Eyecare shows that in about half to two thirds of cases there has been no change at all in the space of a year, and in the majority of the remaining cases the changes have been far less than they were before the child was fitted with MiyoSmart. However, as with any treatment, there are no guarantees, and every case is unique.
How much does it cost? The lenses cost a one-time up-front fee of £375 in addition to the value of the NHS voucher your child will normally be entitled to (if under 18 and in full-time education). If for any reason your child is ineligible for an NHS voucher (this would be unusual), then the cost is £420.
- If your child’s prescription changes by more than -0.50DS within the space of a year, then the lenses will be replaced by Hoya at no charge.
- If the prescription changes by -0.50DS or less, we will discuss with you whether the spectacles need updating, and if deemed necessary then this will be done at half price (= £185 + NHS voucher).
If the prescription changes after a year, then the lenses will cost the full amount again. We do not have any additional charges for check-ups or eye tests for children wearing MiyoSmart lenses; necessary checks are included as part of their NHS funded eye examinations.
- We are aware that most opticians only offer Miyosmart and similar products as part of a recurring payment scheme; we find the cost of such schemes makes the cost of the lenses prohibitive to many parents and so have simplified our model to include only a single up-front charge.
- How do I book in? Call 0208 423 5818 and specify at time of booking that you are interested in exploring the option of MiyoSmart lenses for your child.
We require an eye test here before dispensing lenses (even if you have had one carried out elsewhere recently). Do you offer other myopia control options? We also work with CooperVision MiSight contact lenses which work well for those children who prefer to wear contact lenses.
Can Ortho-K lenses cure myopia?
Will myopia still progress with ortho-k? – The short answer is yes. Ortho-k provides a 50% myopia control effect, causing it to slow myopia progression by around half.4,5 This means it’s normal for myopia to progress even while wearing ortho-k lenses for myopia control, and this should in fact be expected.
- How much myopia will progress while wearing ortho-k lenses depends on many factors, particularly age, sex and ethnicity.
- Myopia typically progresses at a faster rate in younger years, which varies between boys and girls at different ages, and typically progresses faster in Asian compared to Caucasian children.1 At eye care visits, the optometrist or eye doctor is able to measure myopia and compare against average expected myopia progression rates to advise whether myopia is progressing as expected.
However, you need to be aware that knowledge on human myopia progression is still growing, and there are currently no fully reliable measures for how much and how fast myopia will progress in an individual. This means that the eye doctor can only advise whether myopia is progressing within the expected range.
What is the best option for myopia?
The easiest and most common way to treat myopia is with glasses. Glasses help bend the light so that images are focused onto the retina. Contacts can also be used to treat myopia. There are many types of contacts available, including soft, rigid, and hybrid lenses.
How can I reduce myopia naturally?
5 Natural Ways to Reduce Myopia: Tips and Tricks to Protect Your Vision – JEC Eye Hospitals & Clinics Best Eye Hospital in Indonesia LASIK Cataract Dry Eye Relex SMILE Glaucoma Low Vision Retina Although myopia cannot be cured naturally, there are some actions that you can take to slow down the increase of myopia in your eyes.
The natural way of reducing myopia can be done by living a healthy lifestyle and doing positive activities, including relaxing the eyes so that the eye muscles do not become tense. It’s important to note that myopia cannot be cured by exercise, herbal remedies, or massage. The proper treatment must be done medically.
How to Naturally Reduce Myopia? If viewed from a medical perspective, the proper way to cure myopia is by undergoing LASIK surgery. But there are several actions that you can take to maintain eye health: Relaxing the Eyes The first thing to do is to relax the eyes.
- You can do this by taking a break from using your eyes.
- You can use the 20-20-20 rule, which is by looking at an object 20 feet away for 20 seconds every 20 minutes.
- The 20-foot distance is equivalent to 6 meters away from your eyes.
- Consuming Nutritious Food Next, consume nutritious food such as fruits that contain vitamin A.
Examples include cod liver oil, carrots, salmon, tomatoes, beef liver, and sweet potatoes. In addition, there are six other nutrients that can maintain eye health, namely omega 3, vitamin A, vitamin C, Lutein, Zinc, and vitamin E. Doing Eye Exercises The next step is to do eye exercises to stimulate the muscles in the eyes.
- Sit in a comfortable position, blink your eyes 10 times quickly, then close your eyes for 20 seconds.
- Repeat the eye exercises 5 to 10 times if your eyes feel tired.
- Avoiding Excessive Screen Time It’s also important to avoid looking at screens for too long or excessively, as it makes the eyes tired.
- It is recommended to take a break from the screen when working on a computer.
Getting Enough Rest Equally important is getting enough rest. The best rest is sleep, so it is recommended to get 7-8 hours of sleep per day and avoid looking at screens before bed. : 5 Natural Ways to Reduce Myopia: Tips and Tricks to Protect Your Vision – JEC Eye Hospitals & Clinics Best Eye Hospital in Indonesia LASIK Cataract Dry Eye Relex SMILE Glaucoma Low Vision Retina
Can myopia get better?
While myopia has no cure, you can successfully manage the condition with corrective lenses or refractive surgery, such as LASIK. Early interventions, such as limiting screen time for children, can sometimes delay its progression.
Is MiyoSmart worth it?
Absolutely! Miyosmart lenses are the best choice for myopia control in children. John O’Connor optometrists are an authorised accredited optometry practice to provide Miyosmart lenses for your child. See us for the latest promotions from Hoya. – Miyosmart lenses are designed for myopia control in short-sighted children with or without astigmatism.
Are MiyoSmart lenses safe?
MiyoSmart Lenses are safe for children – MiyoSmart lenses are perfect for active children as they are made from polycarbonate, which is not only highly impact resistant, light and thin but also offers great UV protection. Children are more likely to damage spectacles and spectacle lenses than adults so it is essential that frames and lenses selected for children are up to the tasks, fit well and are highly durable to avoid eye injury following for example a football to the face.
- Children are also more susceptible to the effects of UV radiation on the eye with approximately 80% of lifetimes exposure to UV in the eye occuring before the age of 18.
- The reason for this is a child’s cornea, crystalline lens and vitreous being incredibly clear and therefore transmits more light into the eye.
This coupled with children having larger pupils, which again allow more light to enter the eye, and the fact children play outside more than adults means it is important children’s spectacles lenses offer adequate UV protection to avoid future problems such as cataracts and age-related maculopathy.
What is the success rate of MiyoSmart lenses?
Understanding the HOYA MiYOSMART spectacle lens performance The first publication of the new wave of effective myopia management spectacle lenses reported on the Defocus Incorporated Multiple Segments (DIMS) spectacle lens. Known under the commercial name MiYOSMART, this spectacle lens was developed by Hoya Corporation in cooperation with researchers from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University.
- Two-year randomized controlled clinical trial (RCT) and three-year follow up clinical study data have been published, 1,2 and six-year data has been reported, 3 making this the longest running study on spectacle lenses for myopia management.
- The six-year data for the DIMS spectacle lenses are yet to be formally published; however, preliminary results of trial are positive.90 children ended up completing the six-year trial, from the initial 183 children that were involved in the published two-year data.3 The two-year data 1,2 for MiYOSMART showed that there was an average 59% myopia control effect in the cycloplegic spherical equivalent refraction and 60% in axial length.
Six year data shows that this effect is sustained, and early indications also suggest there is no rebound effect after cessation of MiYOSMART and uptake of single vision lenses.3 The image at right is a representation of the lens design, taken from the two year clinical trial publication.1 The description of the lens design from the two-year clinical trial paper includes the following detail.1
- A central zone 9.4mm in diameter that provides full refractive correction in the form of a single vision lens surface
- An annular multiple focal zone (the “treatment” zone) of 33mm in diameter comprising of 396 segments and surrounds the central zone
- Each segment in the treatment zone is 1.03mm in diameter and has a relative positive power of +3.50D
- These segments are arranged in a honeycomb array, which allows for some distance correction in between the segments
- The treatment zone is designed to introduce myopic defocus constantly (when viewing both distance and near objects).
The lens is based on the simultaneous defocus theory of myopia.1,2 Animal studies have demonstrated that eye growth can be arrested by myopic defocus and promoted by hyperopic defocus.4 The DIMS spectacle lens is a dual-focus design that creates conflicting signals that allow for simultaneous retinal defocus.
- The first focussing feature is the single vision central zone which allows visual information to fall onto the retina providing clear vision.
- The second focussing feature are the circular segments of plus power which makes visual information fall in front of the retina and hence creates myopic defocus.
These segments, with their relative plus power, create myopic defocus and are systematically scattered around the lens in a 360-degree manner. This provides a potent slowdown signal, which is maintained in all directions of gaze. The two-year RCT data was published in May 2019.
- The study included 183 Chinese children aged 8-13 years with myopia between -1.00D and -5.00D and no more than -1.50DC astigmatism.93 children were randomly assigned the DIMS spectacle lens and 90 children received single vision (SV) spectacle lenses.
- Cycloplegic autorefraction and axial length were measured in 6 monthly intervals.79 children from the DIMS group and 81 children from the control group completed the RCT.
The results were as follows.1
- Myopia measured by refraction progressed 59% more slowly in the DIMS group vs the SV group
- Myopia measured by axial length was 60% less in the DIMS group vs the SV group
- 21.% of children who wore the DIMS spectacle lenses exhibited no signs of myopia progression over the 2 year period
In the three-year follow up clinical study, the slow down effect was sustained. Those in the SV group were switched to DIMS spectacle lenses, and it was found that their myopia was slowed significantly once switched to DIMS.2 Due to COVID-19, the school of optometry study site was closed and the study was on hold.
- Group 1: children who wore the DIMS spectacle lenses for the full six-year duration
- Group 2: children who worse the DIMS spectacle lenses for 3.5 years and switched to SV spectacles
- Group 3: children who wore SV spectacles for the first 2 years of the trial, then switch to the DIMS spectacle lenses and wore for 4 years
- Group 4: children who wore SV spectacles for the first 2 years of the trial, then switch to the DIMS spectacle lenses and wore for 1.5 year, then switched back to SV spectacles.
The six year data signifies three important findings. These are:
- The myopia control effect of the DIMS spectacle lenses is sustained over 6 years. Group 1 experienced myopia progression of -0.92D and 0.6mm for refraction and axial length respectively over the entirety of the 6-year study course.
- There is no evident rebound effect when switching to SV spectacles. Groups 2 and 4 experienced an increase in eye growth when switching to SV spectacle lenses; however, this was at age normal rates.3
- No adverse event was reported over 6 years
When measuring high contrast and low contrast visual acuity at distance and near, stereoacuity, and phorias, the DIMS spectacle lenses did not appear to affect these measurements after two years of wear.5 Accommodative lag and both monocular and binocular amplitude of accommodation appeared to decrease after two years; however, this occurred for both children wearing DIMS spectacle lenses and SV spectacle lenses.6 A study by Lu et al in 2019 recruited 20 children to wear the DIMS spectacle lenses; the main visual complaint from the study participants was a decrease in mid-peripheral vision caused by the treatment zone which was noticed on average once or twice a day.
- However, 90% of the study participants preferred the DIMS spectacle lenses over SV spectacle lenses, after being made aware of its anti-myopia properties.
- It appears that if children are educated on the DIMS spectacle lenses, they tend to tolerate and accept them well.7 MiYOSMART is effective at slowing down myopia progression.
However, three important factors must be met to ensure that clinical success matches that found in the research studies.
- Wearing time: in the study, participants were asked to wear the spectacle lenses “full-time”: that is, constantly except when they took a shower or when sleeping. This averaged to about 15.5 hours per day, 7 days a week.1 Hence, wearing time is important to maximize the myopia control benefits.
- Frame fit: it is important that the wearer feels comfortable in the spectacles and they fit well. Movement of the frame may affect visual acuity, when the eye is not seeing through the central clear zone; or even result in the child spending some time looking over the top of their lenses if the frame slips downwards.
- Lens fitting heights : just as it’s important to get the frame fit correct so that the spectacles are comfortable and the wearer is looking through the central clear zone most of the time, accurate height measurements are essential for ensuring that the central clear zone sits in front of the pupil.
MiYOSMART provides robust myopia control, and has the longest reported clinical study data of any myopia controlling spectacle lens, so it is an excellent tool in your myopia management toolkit. PRODUCT DISCLAIMER – MiYOSMART has not been approved for myopia management in all countries, including the U.S., and is not currently available for sale in all countries, including the U.S. Jeanne Saw is a clinical optometrist based in Sydney, Australia. She has worked as a research assistant with leading vision scientists, and has a keen interest in myopia control and professional education. This content is brought to you thanks to an unrestricted educational grant from
- Lam CSY, Tang WC, Tse DY, Lee RPK, Chun RKM, Hasegawa K, Qi H, Hatanaka T, To CH. Defocus Incorporated Multiple Segments (DIMS) spectacle lenses slow myopia progression: a 2-year randomised clinical trial. Br J Ophthalmol.2020 Mar;104(3):363-368.
- Lam CS, Tang WC, Lee PH, Zhang HY, Qi H, Hasegawa K, To CH. Myopia control effect of defocus incorporated multiple segments (DIMS) spectacle lens in Chinese children: results of a 3-year follow-up study. Br J Ophthalmol.2022 Aug;106(8):1110-1114.
- Lam CSY, Tang WC, Zhang A, Tse D, To CH. Myopia control in children wearing DIMS spectacle lens: 6 years results. The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) 2022 Annual Meeting, May 1-4, Denver, US.
- Wallman J, Winawer J. Homeostasis of eye growth and the question of myopia. Neuron.2004 Aug 19;43(4):447-68.
- Lam CSY, Tang WC, Qi H, Radhakrishnan H, Hasegawa K, To CH, Charman WN. Effect of Defocus Incorporated Multiple Segments Spectacle Lens Wear on Visual Function in Myopic Chinese Children. Transl Vis Sci Technol.2020 Aug 5;9(9):11.
- Lu Y, Lin Z, Wen L, Gao W, Pan L, Li X, Yang Z, Lan W. The Adaptation and Acceptance of Defocus Incorporated Multiple Segment Lens for Chinese Children. Am J Ophthalmol.2020 Mar;211:207-216.
- Ryu H, Ju U, Wallraven C (2021) Myopia-correcting lenses decrease eye fatigue in a visual search task for both adolescents and adults. PLoS ONE 16(10): e0258441.
: Understanding the HOYA MiYOSMART spectacle lens performance
Can myopia be fixed without surgery?
Myopia can be cured: MYTH – Myopia occurs when the eyes grow too quickly and too long in childhood, faster than the normal expected rate for healthy visual development.3 Myopia can continue worsening into the teens and even early adulthood.1,4 Once this excessive eye growth has commenced, myopia control treatment options can be prescribed to slow it down but the growth cannot be stopped or reversed.5 This means there is no cure for myopia – only ways to correct the blurred far away vision which comes with it.
- Examples of when myopia may seem to be ‘cured’, but is only just ‘corrected’, include ortho-k contact lenses and laser eye surgery.
- Ortho-k is a special type of rigid breathable contact lens which is worn overnight while sleeping, and removed upon waking.
- Overnight, ortho-k gently reshapes the surface of the eye so that no glasses or contact lenses need to be worn during the day.
The effect is temporary, so the ortho-k lenses need to be worn each night to maintain the vision correction effect. This can make it seem as though the myopia is fixed, but in fact it’s just been corrected – if you stop wearing your ortho-k lenses overnight while sleeping, the correction will regress and you’ll need normal glasses or contact lenses to see during waking hours again.6 In the same way, but as a permanent fix, laser eye surgery (LASIK) can also do away with the need for vision correction, so the person doesn’t need to wear glasses or contact lenses again. There is no treatment that can reverse myopia once it has developed because the eyeball length cannot be reduced or shrunk back. Sometimes, though, a prescription can reduce from one eye examination to the next, due to accuracy of the measurement process.
Can you wear Ortho-K lenses forever?
Is Orthokeratology Permanent? – No. It’s temporary. If you stop wearing Ortho-K Lenses regularly while you sleep, your vision will return to its original state in as little as 72 hours.
What is the strongest myopia?
Myopia and pathological myopia Myopia, also known as “being short sighted”, causes your vision to be blurry in the distance but clearer when looking at things up close. Myopia is a very common focusing problem, and for most people it can be easily corrected using glasses or contact lenses to make vision clear and crisp.
- Most people with myopia have healthy eyes.
- Pathological myopia is different from simply being short sighted.
- Pathological myopia means that you are very short sighted and that this has caused degenerative changes to the back of your eye.
- Pathological myopia can cause a reduction in your sight that cannot be corrected with glasses or contact lenses.
This page contains a summary of our information on myopia and pathological myopia. To read our full information, download our factsheet: For vision to be clear, light entering needs to be focused accurately on your retina. Light entering your eye is first focused by the cornea and then finely focused by the lens.
- Ideally, when light enters your eye, this focusing system should makes sure that when light enters your eye, it is sharply in focus as it reaches the retina.
- This will mean that you see everything in focus without any blurriness.
- However, if someone has a focusing or “refractive” error, light is not focused correctly onto the back of the eye and vision is not clear.
In people with myopia, the light entering the eye comes to a focus point before it reaches your retina. This makes vision blurry and is caused by the eyeball being too long or the cornea (the clear window at the front of the eye) being more steeply curved.
People with myopia require a prescription for glasses or contact lenses with a minus lens power to correct their vision. This lens reduces the excessive bending of light by the eye, thereby focusing it onto the retina rather than infront of it, to produce a sharp clear image. Optometrists (also known as opticians) measure the focusing power of your eye in dioptres.
This is a technical term for how strong a lens would have to be to correct the focusing of your eye and give you clear vision. Myopia is written with a minus power on your glasses or contact lens prescription; for example, a prescription for three and a half dioptres of myopia would be written: -3.50 dioptres (D).
Mild myopia includes powers up to -3.00 dioptres (D).Moderate myopia, a power of -3.00D to -6.00D.High myopia is usually a power over -6.00D.
Most people with myopia of less than -6.00D don’t develop any further problems. This is sometimes known as simple myopia, meaning that your eyes are healthy and that the blurriness that your myopia causes is easily corrected for with glasses or contact lenses.
Does myopia stop progressing?
How Myopia Progresses – Myopia, more commonly known as nearsightedness, is one of the most common refractive errors in the world. It’s so common that researchers believe nearly half of the planet will have some degree of myopia by 2050 ! The risk of developing myopia is different for everyone, but some of the most common factors include family history or spending too much time indoors.
- Myopia usually develops early in life, either when the eye grows too long or if the cornea becomes too steep.
- When this happens, light entering the eye focuses in front of the retina instead of on it, resulting in blurry distance vision.
- The earlier a person develops myopia, the more the condition can progress as they grow up.
In most cases, though, myopia progression tends to slow down or stop by the age of 20, but some studies have shown that it can progress for much longer (sometimes until the age of 35 or 40 ). It’s possible to be diagnosed with myopia during adulthood, but it may be related to other conditions or issues like :
DiabetesCataractsVisual stress
Researchers also suggest that hyperopic peripheral defocus, an issue where peripheral light focuses past the retina, may also contribute to myopia progression in children and adults.
Can myopia be fixed without surgery?
Myopia can be cured: MYTH – Myopia occurs when the eyes grow too quickly and too long in childhood, faster than the normal expected rate for healthy visual development.3 Myopia can continue worsening into the teens and even early adulthood.1,4 Once this excessive eye growth has commenced, myopia control treatment options can be prescribed to slow it down but the growth cannot be stopped or reversed.5 This means there is no cure for myopia – only ways to correct the blurred far away vision which comes with it.
- Examples of when myopia may seem to be ‘cured’, but is only just ‘corrected’, include ortho-k contact lenses and laser eye surgery.
- Ortho-k is a special type of rigid breathable contact lens which is worn overnight while sleeping, and removed upon waking.
- Overnight, ortho-k gently reshapes the surface of the eye so that no glasses or contact lenses need to be worn during the day.
The effect is temporary, so the ortho-k lenses need to be worn each night to maintain the vision correction effect. This can make it seem as though the myopia is fixed, but in fact it’s just been corrected – if you stop wearing your ortho-k lenses overnight while sleeping, the correction will regress and you’ll need normal glasses or contact lenses to see during waking hours again.6 In the same way, but as a permanent fix, laser eye surgery (LASIK) can also do away with the need for vision correction, so the person doesn’t need to wear glasses or contact lenses again. There is no treatment that can reverse myopia once it has developed because the eyeball length cannot be reduced or shrunk back. Sometimes, though, a prescription can reduce from one eye examination to the next, due to accuracy of the measurement process.
What is the cost of myopia control lenses?
How do these glass lenses work? – The way that these lenses achieve that is they’re not being like traditional lenses they basically have two zones to the lens. One is the central zone and one is a peripheral zone The central zone basically takes care of the central vision and the central zone is like any other spectacle lens that you have used in the past.
The peripheral zone, on the other hand, has a honeycomb pattern. The honeycomb pattern has a plus number on some parts of the honeycomb, and what this plus number does is moves these rays to meet in front of the retina. Once these rays are moved here the stimulus for this eye to grow longer reduces. Studies show that there is a chance of 60% of myopia not increasing when these lenses are worn.
The company, Hoya, now have to follow up studies for up to three years. In fact, the company is so sure that the lenses work that If you start wearing these lenses and if your number increases by,75 Dipoters in the first six months they would actually replace the lenses for free with the new number.
- These lenses were introduced in India in November of 2021 where there were used by some very big autonomic institutes.
- They were introduced in private practice in the month of Feb or March in 2022.
- Compared to regular spectacle lenses these are much more expensive.
- So as of May 2022 these lenses come for around ₹15,000 for both eyes.
And while I expect that the price may be a hindrance for some to actually use these lenses, from a purely medical point of view I think this is a very interesting development and I do think that this will actually reduce the prevalence of high myopia.