23/05/2026
Helping Protect Your Child's Vision
At Richard Fantom Eyecare, we are proud to support Myopia Awareness Week - an opportunity to raise awareness about short-sightedness.
What is Myopia?
Myopia is the defect of the focus of the eye that causes distant objects to appear blurred whilst near vision remains clear. In the U.K. we commonly know it as short-sightedness; in the U.S. it is known as near-sightedness.It is literally a growing global issue. Most myopia is caused by the eyeball growing too long, causing light to focus in front of the retina rather than sharply in focus at the retina. Myopia is also increasing rapidly around the world. It's estimated that around half the global population may be myopic by 2050.
Why Does Myopia Matter?
Myopia is more than just an inconvenience, requiring correction with spectacles and contact lenses. A myopic eye is less healthy and as myopia increases it increases the risk of eye health problems later in life. These include:
retinal tears and detachment
glaucoma
early cataract
myopic macular degeneration
The higher the level of myopia, the greater the long term risk.
How Can Children (and Parents!) Help Reduce The Risk?
A large part of the risk will be influenced by genetics. Having one or more myopic parents increases the chances of a child becoming myopic.
However there are some simple steps that can help reduce the risk of myopia developing (and if it does still develop, the later in childhood the better!), or slow down progression.
Encourage Outdoor Time. Children should aim for at least 2 hours a day outside. Natural light is important for healthy eye development.
Good Visual Habits. Encourage good posture, not getting too close to the task.
Good Lighting. Discourage working and reading in poor light. Ideally use targeted light to illuminate the task.
Manage Screen Time and Take Regular Breaks. Follow the 20-20-20 rule - every 20 minutes look into the distance (more than 20 feet away) for 20 seconds.
Regular Eye Examinations. Eye examinations allow for early detection and monitoring of myopia. Our Rodenstock DNEye instrument allows us to measure the overall axial length of the eye.
Myopia Control - What Can We Do?
The good news is that modern optometry offers ways to slow down the progression of myopia in children. As an optometrist it has been very exciting to have been able to offer myopia control spectacles since they were launched in the U.K. in 2021. We also offer myopia control contact lenses.These treatments are safe, effective, and tailored to each child's needs. Put simply they work by altering the way that light focuses on the peripheral parts of the retina in order to discourage the eye from growing longer.
So don't hesitate. If you'd like to know more, whether for yourself, your child, your grandchildren, or just because you're interested, we love to talk about myopia and myopia control too.
