What is Myopia?

The International Myopia Institute (IMI) has defined myopia, also known as near- or short-sightedness, as a ‘refractive error in which rays of light entering the eye parallel to the optic axis are brought to a focus in front of the retina when ocular accommodation is relaxed. This usually results from the eyeball being too long from front to back, but can be caused by an overly curved cornea and/or a lens with increased optical power’.²

The condition usually develops during childhood and progresses until the late teenage years.^3,4

Globally, myopia is a major cause of vision impairment worldwide.^5,6

It is associated with serious ocular health risks, including an increased likelihood of glaucoma, retinal detachment, and myopic maculopathy, especially at higher levels of myopia.^{2, 7-12}

What causes Myopia?

Myopia is believed to be caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors.^{13, 14, 15-22}

Why should you consider Contact Lenses as a Great Choice for Myopia Management?

SOCIAL AND VISUAL BENEFITS

• Children often prefer contact lenses over glasses primarily for their impact on physical appearance.²⁷
• Wearing contact lenses can enhance children's self-perception and social acceptance. They significantly boost how children feel about their looks, their peer acceptance, and their ability to participate in sports.²⁸
• Contact lenses can increase children's confidence in their academic performance, especially if they initially dislike wearing glasses.^27-28

SAFETY

• Daily disposable hydrogel contact lenses are safe for children to wear.
• Six randomized controlled trials involving 581 myopic children reported no significant or serious ocular adverse events. 24 No cases of microbial keratitis were observed among these children.
• The incidence of corneal infiltrative events in children is comparable to that in adults and may be significantly lower for children aged 8 to 11 years. Remarkably, wearing 1-day contact lenses for 5,000 years would result in the risk of only one eye infection. Research indicates that children aged 8-12 years are the safest group for contact lens wear, and most studies have focused on this age range.²⁵
• The risk of microbial keratitis (MK) associated with orthokeratology lenses is approximately 5 cases per 10,000 patient-years, a significant decrease from the earlier data which reported about 13 cases per 10,000 patient-years.²⁵ In a recent study, only 4 cases of microbial keratitis were identified among ortho-K lens wearers, resulting in an overall incidence rate of 5.4 cases per 10,000 patient-years.²⁶