In Singapore, the incidence of myopia in children is very high. Myopia or nearsightedness is a vision condition in which you can see objects near to you clearly, but objects farther away are blurry.
In fact, Singapore is often labelled as the “Myopia Capital of the World” – 65 percent of children are myopic by Primary 6, and 83 percent of young adults are myopic.
By 2050, it is projected that 80 to 90 percent of all Singaporean adults above 18 years old will be myopic and 15 to 25 percent of these individuals may have high myopia.
Research also shows that young children who develop myopia before the age of 12 are more at risk of developing high myopia, leading to increased risks of sight-threatening diseases such as myopic macular degeneration and retinal detachment.
Causes of Myopia
So what causes myopia or nearsightedness?
According to the Singapore National Eye Centre, “There are various eye pathologies that can lead to myopia, but the most common type is caused by the rapid elongation of the eyeball.”
The risk factors for developing myopia are believed to be a mix of hereditary and environmental factors.
If one parent is myopic, the child’s risk of developing the condition doubles, and this risk is eight times more if both parents are myopic.
Also, lack of outdoor activities and excessive near-work activities like reading and screen time exposes children to a higher risk of developing myopia.
Your child’s eye care: What to remember
Parents, when it comes to your child’s eye care, here are some mistakes to avoid to ensure that their eyes stay healthy for years to come:
1. Not getting an annual exam and only relying on school screenings
There is a common misconception that unless a problem presents itself, an eye exam is not necessary.
Your child should be screened as early as six months old and a follow-up screening should be done at three and five years of age, and then every year after until 18 years old.
Though there are eye screenings provided in school, this may not be enough and some vision problems might not be detected right away through a simple and general screening. So it is recommended to not rely solely on the school screenings.
Only an optometrist can evaluate if your child’s eye is developing properly.
2. Relying on your child’s opinion of their eyesight
Children often have no idea what it is like to have a clear, sharp vision or blurred vision especially if they are very young and would most probably say that they can see things clearly. Sometimes, they might change their opinion based on their desire to either have glasses or avoid them.
So it is imperative for parents to bring their children for regular eye screening.
There are signs which parents can look out for that may indicate a vision problem:
- Sitting close to the TV or holding a book too close
- Trouble seeing the black or white board at school
- Squinting
- Tilting their head
- Covering an eye
- Frequently rubbing their eyes
- Eyes often turning red
- Short attention span for the child’s age
- Turning of an eye in or out
- Sensitivity to light
- Difficulty with eye-hand-body coordination when playing ball or bike riding
- Avoiding colouring activities, puzzles, and other detailed activities
- Headaches
Mums and dads, if you notice any of these signs in your child, it is best to arrange for a visit with an authorised eye care practitioner.
3. Straining eyes
If your child has been diagnosed with myopia, make sure that they always use their glasses or lenses, and their prescription is up-to-date. Straining their eyes to see is not good for children, and can often lead to headaches and dizziness.
Wearing glasses or contact lenses of the right prescription can help to correct their vision and reduce strain.
Today, there are solutions available to help with the management of myopia in children such as orthokeratology contact lenses, which offer daytime flexibility and clearer vision without the need for glasses.
This article is presented by ACUVUE® Abiliti™. If you are concerned about your child’s vision, head over to https://www.seeyourabiliti.com/sg/ to do a risk assessment now. You can book an eye health check-up with an ACUVUE® Abiliti™authorised eye care practitioner, and find out more about how ACUVUE® Abiliti™ Overnight Therapeutic Lenses control the progression of myopia in children.
References:
¹ Karuppiah, V., Wong, L., Tay, V., Ge, X., & Kang, L. L. (2021). School-based programme to address childhood myopia in Singapore. Singapore Medical Journal, 62(2), 63–68. https://doi.org/10.11622/SMEDJ.2019144
² Holden, B. A., Fricke, T. R., Wilson, D. A., Jong, M., Naidoo, K. S., Sankaridurg, P., Wong, T. Y., Naduvilath, T. J., & Resnikoff, S. (2016). Global Prevalence of Myopia and High Myopia and Temporal Trends from 2000 through 2050. Ophthalmology, 123(5), 1036–1042. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ophtha.2016.01.006
³ Chua, S. Y. L., Sabanayagam, C., Cheung, Y.-B., Chia, A., Valenzuela, R. K., Tan, D., Wong, T.-Y., Cheng, C.-Y., & Saw, S.-M. (2016). Age of onset of myopia predicts risk of high myopia in later childhood in myopic Singapore children. Ophthalmic and Physiological Optics, 36(4), 388–394. https://doi.org/10.1111/opo.12305
⁴⁻Haarman, A. E. G., Enthoven, C. A., Willem Tideman, J. L., Tedja, M. S., Verhoeven, V. J. M., & Klaver, C. C. W. (2020). The complications of myopia: A review and meta-analysis. Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science, 61(4), 1–3. https://doi.org/10.1167/iovs.61.4.49
⁵ Morgan, I. G., Wu, P., Ostrin, L. A., Tideman, J. W. L., & Yam, J. C. (2021). IMI Risk Factors for Myopia. Imi, 12–15.