Your child will be prescribed traditional glasses or contact lenses if they are diagnosed with myopia. These will improve how well they can see, but it will not change how quickly their myopia develops.
There are some treatments that may slow down myopia during childhood. This is called myopia management, or myopia control.
Different myopia management treatments are available in the UK. These are:
– Myopia management contact lenses.
– Myopia management spectacles.
– Orthokeratology lenses. These are a type of rigid gas-permeable contact lens that are worn at night.
We know that myopia management glasses, myopia management contact lenses and orthokeratology lenses have similar results.
If you have a high level of myopia, you will be at a slightly greater risk of developing conditions such as retinal detachments, glaucoma and myopic retinal degeneration later in life. These conditions can lead to sight loss.
We do not yet know the long-term impact of myopia management on conditions that could lead to sight loss later in life. Reducing a child’s level of myopia may slightly reduce their risk of these conditions. However, it is not possible to remove the risk completely.
There isn’t enough evidence yet to know if the long-term benefits of myopia management outweigh the costs. Because of this, you might choose to continue to use traditional glasses or contact lenses instead of myopia management.
Myopia management is not currently funded by the NHS. That means you have to pay privately for treatment. The cost is generally more expensive than traditional glasses or contact lenses. Our optometrists can give you more information about the costs.
We know that wearing myopia management glasses does not have any more risks than wearing traditional glasses.
The risks of wearing myopia management contact lenses are similar to the risks of wearing traditional contact lenses. Some people have mild discomfort and blurred vision. There is a risk of serious complications, such as corneal infections that may result in sight loss, but this risk is low. There is a higher risk of complications if you wear contact lenses overnight.
If your child wears contact lenses, it is important that they follow your optometrist’s advice about hygiene and caring for the lenses. They should also have regular contact lens check-ups to prevent complications. It is important for you to make sure your child is following our optometrists’ advice correctly.
There is no minimum age when myopia management treatment can be started. However, for contact lens and orthokeratology treatments your child needs to be old enough to be able to carefully use and look after their lenses. Our optometrists will show them how.
We need more research before we can be sure of the best age to end myopia management treatment. Experts currently believe that children should stop using myopia management in their late teens. Your child may need to restart their treatment if their myopia starts to get worse again after their treatment has stopped.
Your child’s optometrist may use a calculator to predict the impact of myopia management treatment. However, it is not possible to know for certain how successful their treatment will be. Your optometrist will examine your child’s eyes regularly and should explain how they will measure the results.
Your child may not respond to myopia management treatment as expected. They may need to change to a different treatment, or to try a combination of treatments if the first choice does not slow down myopia development.
