Myopia or short sightedness (Minus power of lenses) is a condition which the near objects appear clear but the distance objects appear blurry. The proportion of children suffering from myopia is increasing at an alarming rate. Upto 25% of children are affected by myopia in India and it is expected to reach roughly 50% of population worldwide by the year 2050. This is the latest pandemic which has struck the world.

Myopia progresses in children with advancing age and is a major cause of concern for parents. It keeps on increasing till teenage age group with the increase in eyeball size. Once myopia is diagnosed, the children need to checked again and again at regular intervals to check for any change in power. The problem is not only about increase in thickness of lenses causing cosmetic blemish, it is also about increasing the risk for glaucoma, retinal detachment among others.
Thinking that its just a glasses that we need to use and can be removed after 18 years of age is a thing of past. The rate of increase cannot be stopped but we can definitely reduce the pace of increase by few measures with proper understanding of the problem.

Lifestyle modification: The children should be encouraged to spend at least a couple of hours outside daily and refrain from using screen devices like mobile phones, laptop etc. They can be taken to parks or to make them join sports or any other activity which provides them outdoor exposure. The class rooms need to designed in a way to allow exposure to outdoor light. Artificial light is no substitute for natural light. School curriculum should have designated time for children to play outside. While reading also children should maintain a correct posture and read in a well lit room.
Focussing on the lifestyle of children is of utmost importance for which we have to be role models in terms of reducing our screen time as well.

Pharmacological and optical treatment: There are a few drops and special kind of glasses and contact lenses also available which can reduce the rate of increase in power of glasses for which you can consult your eye specialist for more details.

Drops if started for the purpose of decreasing the rate of increase have to used on a continuous basis for years and should not be discontinued without the doctor advice. They are usually instilled once at bedtime on a regular basis with no stinging or any other problem with the usage.

There are specially approved glasses for reducing the rate of increase in power of glasses which work on the principle of peripheral refraction and have been to be quite successful in a subset of children.

None of these measures are successful in 100% of children and sometimes we have combine two treatment options to achieve the desired result which can be best achieved with the discussion between the treating doctor and parents in a one to one discussion.

Focussing on the lifestyle of children is of utmost importance for which we have to be role models in terms of reducing our screen time as well.

In summary, myopia is increasing and affecting a significant proportion of children. There are options available which can reduce the rate of increase in power in children by adoption of a new lifestyle and the newer treatment modalities for which you can visit your Pediatric Ophthalmologist (Child eye specialist). Hopefully this allays anxiety of the parents that we can do something for myopia progression.