Myopia Control

Myopia Control – Ready to take on myopia?

Myopia (short sight) is on the increase. Act now to slow the progression of your child’s myopia.

We’re proud to have been one of the first 50 practices in the UK to have been chosen to use the ground-breaking MiSight 1-day contact lens – the first soft contact lens proven to slow myopia progression in children. We now have nearly 10 years experience fitting myopia control contact lenses for children as young as 7.

What is myopia?

In a normally shaped eye, light focuses directly on the retina at the back of the eye. This makes vision sharp and clear.

When your child has myopia, their eyes are growing too long, and light focuses in front of the retina. This blurs their vision, so they need spectacles or contact lenses to see clearly.

Controlling myopia in children is important because:

  • As their eyes grow and their myopia increases, the dependency on glasses increases.
  • This can reduce the ability of children to participate actively in sports and other activities.
  • Increasing myopia can lead to eye health problems in the future.

What are MiSight 1 day contact lenses?

  • The first soft contact lens proven to slow the progression of myopia.
  • A daily disposable contact lens suitable for myopic children as young as eight years old.
  • Clever ActivControl Technology, which as a dual-focus contact lens has alternating visual correction and treatment zones allows children to see clearly while slowing their myopia progression and eyeball growth.
  • Wearing MiSight 1-day contact lenses is shown to reduce myopia progression in children by 59% on average, reducing their reliance on vision correction.
  • 41% of children who wore MiSight contact lenses had no significant change in prescription during the three-year period of a recent study compared to only 4% of those who did not.

These lenses can be used by anyone at risk of or experiencing myopic changes, so please do get in touch if you would like to find out more.

MiSight 1 day contact lenses are available from Simmons Optometrists from £39.00 per month.

See better today.

  • East to wear for children as young as eight years old.
  • No complicated cleaning regimen.
  • Clear vision while doing schoolwork, playing outdoors or watching TV.

See a better tomorrow.

  • Proven to slow myopia progression for a lower prescription and better vision.
  • Help your child realise their full potential.
  • Slowing the progression of myopia supports the long-term health of your child’s eyes.

Here are some myopia facts to get you thinking

  • Myopic parents are more likely to have myopia children than non-myopic parents. i.e. genetics plays a part.
  • The link between reading or near work and myopia is not fully understood, but regular breaks from prolonged concentrated tasks is recommended (20-20-20, ie every 20 minutes look 20 metres away for 20 seconds).
  • The eye determines where correct focus is located while it is growing, by the clarity of peripheral (side) vision, not central vision.
  • People who spend more time outdoors, even if they have myopic parents and even if they read a lot, are less likely to become myopic.Aim to encourage children to spend 90-120 minutes outside everyday on average.

Why act now?

  • We cannot cure myopia and it cannot be reversed
  • The best time for effective treatment is when myopia is low as the change is usually most rapid in the first year or two. The younger you start the better the chance of success
  • There are advantages to myopia control at any stage but there is no advantage in waiting.
  • The average increase in myopia for those who are progressing is about 0.37DS per year. That means a child with low myopia in year 7 most likely will not be able to read the top letters on the eye chart without glasses by year 10.
  • The quality of life difference between people with low myopia compared with those with high myopia is significant. A person with low myopia, such as -1.00DS or better, is only slightly inconvenienced in many situations. They are part-time glasses wearers, perhaps using them only for seeing the white board at school or driving. Hugely different to a person with high myopia who needs glasses to see even the alarm clock first thing in the morning.