Myopia Control Therapy

Dr. PIYUSH TEWARI

M.S. AFMS

Fellow NARAYANA NETHRALAYA

Work experience

Key area of interest

We at Tewari Eye Centre aim for “exceptional surgical excellence”

We believe in, “leave no stone unturned while planning a surgery” philosophy to achieve desired results.

Dr. PRERNA MATTA

DNB. MNAMS

FELLOW MOORFIELD’S (UK)

Work experience

Key area of interest

We at Tewari Eye Centre aim for “exceptional surgical excellence”

We believe in, “leave no stone unturned while planning a surgery” philosophy to achieve desired results.

Myopia Control Program

Myopia (nearsightedness) is reaching epidemic proportions. By 2050, half of the world’s population is expected to have myopia. That’s worrying because there are limited options of eye exercises to improve vision and having myopia significantly raises the risk of developing sight-threatening eye diseases later in life, such as cataracts, glaucoma, retinal detachment and macular degeneration.

Methodical approach is needed to halt or to cure myopia And eyesight improvement The level of myopia a child has is directly correlated to their risk of eye disease — the higher the myopia, the greater the risk. A child between -0.75D and -3.00 is more than 3 times more likely to develop retinal detachment in the future. That number triples for individuals with high myopia (-5.00 and above).

Did You Know Myopia Is Caused By Abnormal Eye Growth?

Treatment options for myopia

Myopia is the most common refractive error among children and young adults. It occurs when the:

Eye elongates, causing rays of light to focus in front of the light-sensitive retina rather than directly on it. This causes distant objects to appear blurred while nearby objects remain clear.
Curvature of cornea increases due to any reason.The degree of myopia can progress gradually or rapidly, especially from ages 8-18. This is not just a matter of inconvenience or needing stronger glasses; if the myopia continues to progress hit become difficult to cure myopia and the child is at a higher risk of developing dangerous eye diseases later in life that can lead to permanent vision loss and even blindness.Abnormal growth is triggered by constant de-focussing of images over retina, nutritional deficiencies, excessive use of eye muscles. Myopia control aims at modifying these factors and helping the patient to limit the dioptric Power of eye.Once your glass power is fixed then it’s not possible to Reverse it. Hence we try to control both the factors that is increasing Axial length and reducing the corneal curvature.

Treatment options for Myopia

Atropine (0.01%) eye drops
Bifocal / progressive glasses / separate reading glasses.
Orthokeratology (Ortho-k)
Multifocal contact lenses
Myopia control spectacles (MYOVISION / STELLEST)

Patients are thoroughly evaluated, carefully monitored, and reviewed frequently in order to monitor progress and modify the treatment to ensure best outcomes. Follow-up visits generally occur every 6-12 months to assess the treatment’s efficacy. In case of sub optimal result the treatment maybe modified or changed on case to case basis.

Frequently asked questions for eyesight improvement

Who can benefit from the program?

Children lesser than 15 years of age with progressive myopia of more than 2D.

What all tests will be required?

Eye tests:

Complete cycloplegic refraction: Done every 3 months till stabilization.

Ocular Biometry: Done every 6 months.

Retina examination: done every 6 months

Blood investigation:

Serum Vitamin D levels

Serum IgE levels (Needed only for children with astigmatism >2D)

How many follow ups are needed?

Initially we evaluate the children every 3 months. Once number is stabilized then we evaluate every 3-6 months.

What is the aim of myopia control therapy?

This program does not intend to reverse myopia. It only aims to slow the progression of myopia limit the magnitude to lesser than -7D (Which is Pathological).

How will I know that the therapy is working or not?

If after one year of therapy the dioptric power of child increases by more than 1 D then it means that therapy is not sufficient and it needs to be modified. usually myopia control glasses or orthokerarology is given in such cases.

Will anti reflective coating in glasses help control of myopia?

Antireflective coating classes only helps in reducing the strain on the eye but they will not help controlling myopia.

What modifications can I do in routine to control myopia?

Minor changes in lifestyle make large differences overtime. Here are certain tips that you can follow.

Diet:

• Increase your diet with green leafy vegetables, carrots, pulses, paneer, boiled chicken (if non veg).

• Consume at least one glass milk (don’t consume milk in case of lactose intolerance) and make sure that child get at least 10 mins of sunlight exposure.• Reduce starch and carbohydrates in your diet like Maida, multiple times fried items.• Reduce cold drinks or sodas which have high sugar content.• Reduce processed / wrapped foods like canned food, chips etc.

Reading Habit:

• 20-20-20- rule: Give your eye rest by looking at a distance of 20 feet or beyond , every 20 min for 20 sec while doing computer vision work. This breaks the cycle of constant excessive focussing. • Maintain adequate posture by sitting upright on table and chair.• The brightness of the screen should not be very high, the room should be well lit .• Maintain adequate distance from the computer screen .• Try to work on a relatively larger screen, because smaller screens tend to be more stressful on the eye. You can always take an output of your display onto a larger screen .• Use adequate lubricants everyone hour during computer work or as advised by physician.• Limiting the number of screen hours.• Regularising the sleep cycle.• Always wear spectacles if you have glass prescription.

Is there any role of eye exercises in controlling myopia?

Accommodation exercises helps in proper growth of eye during growing years of a child. This is called pencil push-ups/ cat card exercise. Our optometrists will explain the exercise in detail.