Myopia is a vision defect (refractive error) that manifests as poor distance vision. The myopic eye is a large, elongated eye in which light rays converge and form an image in front of the retina (normally the light beam should reach the retina level). The image thus projected on the retina is unclear.
How Is Myopia Classified?
Depending on the diopter value, we can speak of:
- low myopia (under 3 diopters)
- moderate myopia (between 3-6 diopters)
- high myopia (between 6-9 diopters)
A separate category is severe myopia, with diopter values over 10 diopters; it usually has early onset, from birth or from the first years of life and progresses reaching very high values, possibly reaching and even exceeding 30 diopters.
What Are the Causes of Myopia in Children?
The cause of myopia onset and progression is not known with certainty. However, there are some obvious situations associated with the presence of myopia in children.
- Genetic myopia is the most common form of myopia in children, in families where one or both parents are myopic.
- Congenital myopia appears from birth. Most affected are prematurely born children, who may also develop a certain degree of retinopathy of prematurity.
- Myopia associated with syndromes or metabolic conditions is a rare form of progressive myopia that will reach high diopter values.
Increasingly frequently in recent years, there is an evident correlation between the onset and progression of myopia and prolonged near visual activity (reading, writing, using phones, tablets), as well as spending time especially indoors. There are studies highlighting the protective role of time spent outdoors, in natural light. A minimum of 2 hours outdoors, in open spaces is recommended for children, both for preventing onset and for slowing the progression of myopia.
Of all forms of myopia in children, "school myopia" is the most common. It manifests around age 6-7 and progresses until around age 20. This does not progress very much (values up to 6 diopters) without producing retinal changes. This myopia correlates with the child's development process – as the body develops, the eye will also develop, thus there is risk of myopia progression.
How Do We Know If Our Child Has Myopia?
The symptoms of myopia are primarily represented by unclear distance vision, and to compensate for this deficiency, myopic people squint their eyelids to manage to see more clearly.
Children may have headaches, photophobia, frequently complain that they cannot see what is written on the board at school, or squint or tend to get closer when watching TV. All these signs should be taken into consideration and require a visit to the ophthalmology office.
How Is Myopia Treated?
The diagnosis of myopia is made by the ophthalmologist, after measuring diopters and complete examination of the eyes.
Once it appears, myopia cannot disappear on its own. Vision correction in childhood myopia is done with glasses (with divergent lenses, with "-") or with contact lenses.
Wearing soft contact lenses with diopters, either occasionally or permanently, brings benefits for older children with myopia: the discomfort of wearing a glasses frame that leads to narrowing of the visual field is eliminated and the possibility of practicing sports, for which glasses represent an impediment. Contact lenses represent the best choice in case of large diopter differences between the two eyes (anisometropia), to prevent the onset of amblyopia or lazy eye.
Can Myopia Be Prevented or Treated in Children?
There are no scientifically proven methods that lead to preventing the onset or "curing" of myopia. Special attention in recent years is given to trying to "control" the rate of myopia growth.
We have available both drops (with Atropine solution, administered in the evening), and contact lenses (either day lenses or night lenses) that can slow myopia progression. Depending on age, myopia value, and each child's specific needs, these methods can be indicated either independently or in combination.
A new treatment option for myopia is the "night" contact lens – a hard lens that is worn during sleep; its role is to flatten the cornea, and the advantage of this method is that during the day, the child can see well, without glasses or contact lenses.
Through periodic checkups and good collaboration between the ophthalmologist and parent, methods can be found that help the child see well and keep their myopia "under control".
Frequently Asked Questions
Myopia is a vision defect that manifests as poor distance vision. The myopic eye is a large, elongated eye in which light rays converge and form an image in front of the retina.
A minimum of 2 hours outdoors, in open spaces is recommended for children, both for preventing onset and for slowing the progression of myopia. There are also Atropine drops or contact lenses that can slow progression.
