D & D McWilliams | Independent Opticians in Carlisle

What is Myopia?

Myopia is the clinical term for Short-Sightedness. People who are myopic struggle to see things at distance and this can be remedied with spectacles and contact lenses.

In many cases Myopia is caused by the eye growing longer than normal, which means light does not focus accurately at the back of the eye.

Many children find they have rapidly changing myopia and their vision worsens rather quickly over a period of a few years. There are many factors that determine this but they can include:

Genetics (You are more likely to be myopic if your parents or grandparents are as well)
Time spent outdoors (Too much time indoors has been linked with increased risk of developing myopia)
Excessive close work (Spending a lot of time focussing on near objects such as reading, writing or using hand-held devices)

Treating Myopia

Recently studies have shown that there are ways to reduce the development of Myopia in young children and teenagers.

This is achieved by the use of specialist spectacle lenses or contact lenses that are designed to slow the lengthening of the eye. Clinical trials have shown the effectiveness of these methods, on average reducing myopic progression by 60%.

While there are obvious benefits to reducing myopia in terms of vision and the costs/appearance of spectacles it is also beneficial later in life. Patients with high-myopia are more susceptible to eye conditions at the back of the eye due to it's increased length.

We are able to dispense Coopervision MiSight Contact Lenses or Hoya MiYOSMART Spectacle Lenses. Please feel free to contact us for more information on these products.

Myopia Management