Myopia (short sightedness)
Myopia
For an ever-increasing number of people when we look at things in the distance, they are blurry. This is often known as being short-sighted, and the clinical term for this is Myopia.
This happens because the eyeball has grown too long and images come into focus in front of the retina rather than on the retina. In order to help a person who is Myopic (short-sighted) to see a lens is needed to push the image into the correct position.
Myopia is becoming more common and is happening to children at a younger age than ever. Experts have estimated that the number of Myopic people will grow to almost 50% of the worlds population by the year 2050.
Tips to manage Myopia
- Check vision regularly – Myopia runs in families, if a parent is short-sighted a child has an 80% chance of being short-sighted.
- Wear glasses / contacts – research tells us that wearing your correction all the time is better for eyesight and does not make your eyes lazy.
- Reduce close work – take regular breaks (20 mins) from screens and homework: increase working distance.
- Spend more time outside (2hrs a day) – children are less likely to become myopic when they spend more time outside; this is even more important for younger children.
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