Do images far from you appear blurry but get sharper as you get closer to them? If so, you could be suffering from an eye condition called myopia (nearsightedness). The specific cause for this condition is not clear, though environmental and hereditary factors are significant contributors. Thus, an individual's chances of developing this condition are high if a parent also has it.

How Does It Come About?

People develop the condition when their corneas curve more than they are supposed to or when their eyeballs are longer than normal. These situations lead to light-focusing issues in the eye, resulting in images focusing on the front part as opposed to directly on the retina. This will make objects at a distance lose focus and appear blurry.  

Myopia And Children

Myopia is a common eye condition that affects one in every five children. It is the most common of all refractive error conditions among children. A refractive error is where the eye fails to focus light correctly, leading to blurry vision. This condition is hard to detect at birth, though experts believe that it develops with age. 

Why Is the Condition Common in Children?

Myopia has been on the rise in recent years, and experts believe that a lifestyle change could be the cause. Children are spending more time indoors these days, compared to children 20 or 30 years ago. Also, kids are consuming more digital content and spending long hours in front of a screen more than any other generation. 

As a result, children as young as eight years are developing myopia, which continues to worsen throughout their teen years. Children who develop severe myopia at an early age are at a greater risk of developing other eye conditions such as detached retina or cataracts when they are older.

Children and MiSight Contacts

MiSight^® contacts are disposable contact lenses that an individual should wear just once. Studies have shown that the lenses reduce the speed of myopia progression in kids. According to the FDA, the reduction in progression also reduces the development of other eye complications 

How the Lenses Work

For the best results, an individual should place the lenses onto the eyes as they do other normal lenses. However, the wearer must dispose of the lens, sleep without it, and wear a new one in the morning.

The lenses help the wearer in two main ways: 

• Improve distance vision by correcting the refractive error that leads to myopia.
• Prevent the eye’s tendency to get even worse by lowering its stimulus to do so and focusing light on the retina. 

Conclusion

As long as children have myopia and have chances of the condition getting worse, they should continue wearing the contacts. Although going a day or two without the MiSight lenses will not affect the treatment much, it is still a good idea to wear them every day. For this to happen, adult supervision will be necessary.

For more on MiSight contact lenses, visit Look! Optometry at our office in Manhattan Beach, California. You can call (310) 796-5665 today to schedule an appointment.