Module 1 of 6

MYOPIA & MYOPIA CONTROL

Help beat the myopia pandemic with Nocturnal™ night lenses.

After completing this module you should be able to:

  • Define myopia
  • Understand there is a delay of many years between development of myopia and when complications can arise from myopia
  • List vision corrections that can reduce myopia progression

CHANGES IN A MYOPIC EYE

The increased length of the eye that occurs with myopia is linked to sight loss risk.

Every 1 dioptre increase in myopia increases sight loss risk in older age by +30%

Myopic maculopathy   +67%

Retinal detachment     +30%

POAG                             +20%

PSC cataract                 +21%

Every 1 dioptre in myopia that can be prevented decreases risk of myopic maculopathy by -40%

It is important to understand that myopia is a bit like sunscreen. We protect our kids with it so they have less risk when older of skin cancer. Any degree of myopia that can be prevented in childhood reduces the risk of sight loss when older.

COLLEGE OF OPTOMETRY GUIDANCE

The current guidance on what to tell patients and parents:

Practitioners should be able to explain to parents what myopia is and what lifestyle factors may impact myopia, the increased risks to long-term ocular health that myopia brings, and the approaches that can be used to manage myopia.1, 2 

This includes conventional refractive correction and available treatment options intended to slow its progression.

The independent website myopiachat.org has been set up to convey just this information. It can be useful to note on your record card that you have had a ‘myopia chat’ with the patient and send parents a link to myopiachat.org, which documents that you have fully met this responsibility.

MYOPIACHAT.ORG INFOGRAPHICS

The following infographics show the information available.

SUMMARY

  • Myopia is defined as an eye disease that develops in childhood, where the length of the eye is longer than the refractive power of the eye, causing blurred distance vision.
  • Risk of retinal detachments, glaucoma, cataracts and myopic macular degeneration in later life result from the myopia that develops in childhood.
  • Increasing outdoor time, spectacles with myopia control, day lenses with myopia control and orthok night lenses can all reduce the progression of myopia.