What is myopia or short sightedness?

Myopia (or short-sightedness) is an eye condition that usually starts in childhood. It is a common eye condition that causes things to be blurry far away.

My child’s eyes are getting worse!? Parents are always telling us how worried they are about their child's prescription increasing and their eyes getting worse.

There is now treatment available in the form of special contact lenses or glasses to control this eye issue.

If you think you or your child may need treatment for short-sight or developing myopia, you should book an eye test using our easy Online Booking for appointments or call 020 8759 9395.

Glasses or contact lenses will be needed in order to see distant objects clearly such as the whiteboard in a classroom or the text on the TV.

By 2050, it is estimated that more than 50% of the world's population will be myopic. Children are becoming Myopic at a younger age.

What are the symptoms?

A short-sighted person will be able to see things up close quite clearly, like when reading or on a device. But for tasks that require distance vision, like reading signs or watching TV, or seeing the board at school, their vision will be blurred. Short-sightedness generally starts in children aged from 4 to 13, and here are the signs to watch out for:

Difficulty reading words from a distance, such as reading the whiteboard at school
Headaches or eye strain
Rubbing their eyes frequently
Losing interest in the classroom, being disruptive

Note that short-sightedness is often hereditary, so you may have family members who are also short-sighted. It can get worse until the eye has stopped growing, at around 20 years of age, however it can also happen in adults.

What are the causes?

Experts believe myopia is contributed by the following factors:

genetics, e.g. if one or both parents are short-sighted
low levels of outdoor activities
concentrated near tasks, such as reading and gaming on portable devices
poor levels of lighting

What are the concerns with myopia?

As a child grows and progresses through school, they may experience an increase in short-sightedness. This means a greater dependence on glasses or contact lenses, resulting in a higher prescription with thicker lenses.

Young children with untreated short-sightedness are more likely to get other conditions, such as:

a squint – where the eyes look in different directions
a lazy eye – where sight in one eye does not develop properly

With myopia, the back of the eye is stretched and therefore are more likely to get eye conditions such as retinal detachment, cataracts, glaucoma and macular degeneration in adults.

Degenerative myopia

Degenerative myopia is a rare type of short-sightedness, also known as pathological myopia, which can occur at any age. This can happen if you have high myopia (over -6.00) and may lead to vision loss or could mean you are at a higher risk of developing certain eye conditions that need further treatment.

What can be done for myopia or short-sight?

Short sight can be detected for your child during a comprehensive eye test where an Optician will test vision as well as examining the health of the eye.

Correction for short-sightedness will usually be suggested with glasses or contact lenses, which will help eyes focus correctly, so your child can see distant objects more clearly.

Treatment for myopia or short-sight

For children who have early signs of short-sightedness, a treatment called ‘myopia management’ or ‘myopia control’ is available. This treatment has been developed that to minimise progression through:

Wearing glasses with special lenses, such as the Miyosmart glasses with Miyosmart lenses, MiSight glasses or Stellest lenses
Wearing special contact lenses, such as the Misight contact lenses or NaturalVue contact lenses

Our Opticians will advise you about the best option for your child’s short-sightedness. To discuss regular glasses or contact lenses for you or your child to see clearly, or special glasses (such as those with Miyosmart or Stellest glasses with special lenses) or contact lenses (such as the MiSight or NaturalVue contact lenses) that will help slow down short-sightedness or myopia, book online or call us on 020 8759 9395 to make an appointment. Watch the video to understand more about Myopia and how short sight can be controlled with special contact lenses:

Watch the video to understand how short-sight or Myopia can be controlled with special (dual-focus) glasses:

What can I do to stop progression?

It is not clear why short-sightedness happens, and it is hard to prevent it, but there are some things that can help slow the progression:

encourage children to spend at least 2 hours per day outdoors
take regular breaks for close work, such as reading and gaming
always work in a well-lit environment, especially for their close-work
reduce time spent on digital devices
have regular eye tests so an Optician can monitor and correct any changes

If you are worried about your or your child's eyesight getting worse, book an eye care appointment as soon as possible. We will discuss if your child is suitable for myopia management to slow down their short sight either with special spectacles (with Miyosmart or Stellest lenses) or contact lenses (with Misight or Natural Vue contact lenses).

Call 020 8759 9395 to make an appointment for an eye test. Alternatively, you can book online.

Ideally located near the Heathrow airport in the London Borough of Hounslow, Cranford Opticians can be easily reached from Twickenham, Feltham, Richmond , Teddington, Whitton, Hayes, Heston, Harlington, Southall, Staines, Ashford, Stanwell, Sunbury and many other areas in London and Surrey.

Find us at 742 Bath Road, Cranford, Hounslow, London, TW5 9TY. Street parking on The Avenue, High Street, Berkeley Avenue or Waye Avenue.

Car parks at the Ibis budget London Heathrow Central (TW5 9SX) and DoubleTree Hilton by Hilton London Heathrow Airport (TW5 9QE). Please check for parking conditions.