Business
PUTTING MYOPIA INTO
This month optician Jamie Edney - who runs Edney & Edney with his optometrist wife Ayshah on Monson Road - discusses a cuttingedge development in spectacle lens technology…
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s we find ourselves living in the ‘new normal’, across many industries we have begun noticing new trends arising from having spent the best part of two years stuck inside. In the optical industry, one such trend has become strikingly apparent: more and more of our children are becoming short-sighted – or myopic. Although it is not yet clear exactly what has caused this secondary refractive epidemic,
44 | August 2022 | SO Magazine
we do know that time spent outdoors and away from close tasks like reading, slows down the rate at which we become short sighted. So, it makes sense that home schooling and limited outdoor time has had the opposite effect on children’s eyes across the globe. To put things in perspective, in 2000, 23% of the world’s population were short-sighted, by 2050 this number is expected to rise to 49.8%. So why is this a problem? There are two major issues: Firstly, the more short-sighted you are, the more restricted your vision without glasses will be. Distance vision becomes blurrier, and the short distances that we can see clearly at become shorter. Secondly, higher degrees of shortsightedness carry an increased risk of developing eye problems including glaucoma and retinal detachments in later life. Although concerning, years of research in anticipation of an increasingly myopic paediatric population have culminated in a number of exciting solutions which aim to slow down the rate of myopic progression, a field known as myopia management. To understand how these treatments work, it is important
versatility of a myopia management to understand exactly what causes spectacle lens has been long short-sightedness. anticipated. When the first clinically People who are short-sighted proven lens came to the UK market cannot see well into the distance in 2021, Edney & Edney were quick to because their eyes focus light in front become one of the first UK stockists. of the retina, therefore we could So far, we have fitted several of describe this as the eyeball being ‘too our younger clients with the Hoya long’. Unfortunately, the out-of-focus MiyoSmart lens, and the results have image that reaches the retina initiates been encouraging to say the least. In a response which actually causes the most cases, the lenses slow myopia eyeball to grow in length, which in progression by up to 60%, turn makes the image blurrier, and I’m certain that those which in turn stimulates short-sighted readers further eyeball growth, (including myself!) and so on and so on, will testify that a resulting in a more GET IN CONTACT: prescription of -3.00 short-sighted eye. www.edneyandedney.com is far preferable to a Therefore, many of @edneyandedney -5.00. the currently available @edneyandedney Myopia myopia management @edneyandedney management aside, options work by these ultra-light changing how light is polycarbonate lenses focused on the peripheral boast 100% UV protection retina, which reduces the and premium antireflection and eyeball’s response to increase in scratch resistant coatings. Coupled length. So, myopia management is not with a phenomenal frame, the about stopping or reversing shortresultant spectacles combine groundsightedness, it’s all about slowing breaking optics with outstanding it down. This is why it is important style – a combination which has been to intervene at as young an age as possible before myopic chain reaction testament to every pair of spectacles dispensed by us since opening five really gets going. Myopia management contact lenses years ago. If you have any concerns about have been available for many years, your child’s vision – or yours - or but limitations such as incompatibility would be interested to know more, with all prescriptions and concerns please feel free to contact us or pop of contact lens over-wear restricting into the practice on Monson Road. wear time have meant that the