Myopia (near sightedness) is a condition in which close objects are visibly clear, while distanced objects are blurred. This is understood as a refractive disorder that occurs as the eyeball elongates (gets longer). Myopia can cause exponentially more serious  complications if the refractive error is  severe, -5.00D or worse.

People with myopia have good near vision, and poor distance vision.

Gary Rodney, founder of Smart Vision Optometry and Fellow of the International Academy of Orthokeratology and Myopia Control (FIAOMC), explains the different degrees of myopia and how it leads to great risk of age related blindness.

The causes of myopia traditionally include genetics and the working environment. Now we are seeing that there does not have to be any evidence of genetic tendencies and simply lifestyle can cause myopia to develop. Genetics simply makes the problem worse. The lifestyle factors include doing work focusing on close objects, like a computer screen, digital device, or book and/or less time outdoors in the daylight.

Rays of light that enter the eye, also influence the development of myopia. “Vision is made clear as light rays enter the eye through the cornea and lens, which bend the light to the retina at the back of the eye,” says Rodney. This gives a clear and sharp image. Therefore if a person is experiencing blurry vision they are experiencing a refractive error, as the light rays are not focused correctly at the back of the eye.

If not treated for prevention and not just compensation, myopia can progressively advance, causing other disorders that can result in blindness.

Low myopia

Low Myopia is the most common. Low to moderate myopia is usually measured less than -500D.

While there is no cure, vision treatment, management and control can be influenced using Smart Vision Optometry proprietary techniques with glasses, lenses or orthokeratology (Ortho-K). Ortho-K has been shown to produce a reduction in the rate of progress of myopia.

Studies have shown that children who spend long hours doing outside activities, are at a lower risk of myopia. Progressive nearsightedness/myopia can cause vision impairment, including cataracts, macular degeneration, retinal detachment and myopia maculopathy.

High myopia

High myopia can lead to blindness. High myopia can be at least -500D or worse.

High myopia, also called pathological myopia, where the abnormal elongation of the eyeball that occurs in pathological myopia stretches the tissue at the back of the eye and leads to the development of detachment, floaters and halo. The retina is more stretched and therefore much more prone to peripheral retinal tears.

Studies have shown that the higher the myopia, the bigger the risk a person has of developing glaucoma. “As myopia worsens, retinal nerve fibre layers and macular thickness charge, increases the risk of glaucoma,” says Rodney.

Common risks to blindness led by myopia include retinal detachment, cataracts and glaucoma. These disorders may lead to visual impairment and blindness.

Retinal detachment

A thinned retina can cause retinal breaks. “Retinal detachment occurs when the retina detaches from the back of the eye,” says Rodney, and “if this detachment is not repaired urgently, it can cause blindness.”

Glaucoma

Glaucoma is associated with the damage to the optic nerve caused by increased pressure in the eye chamber.

Glaucoma is found significantly in those with myopia. In some cases, the eye can stretch out of its shape resulting in a refractive error. “The cause of high myopia in patients should be examined,” says Rodney.

Cataracts

Cataracts is common among people with myopia. “This condition occurs when the eyes lens, located behind the pupil, has a cloudy appearance,” says Rodney.

Patients with high myopia can develop cataracts earlier than those with no refractive errors.

Smart Vision Optometry clinics are located in Sydney. Book a Smart Vision Comprehensive Vision Skills Assessment or Advanced Eye Health Test for any child or adult by calling the Mosman clinic (02) 9969 1600 or the Bondi clinic (02) 9365 5047, alternatively book an appointment online.

October brings the month of World Sight Day and World Teacher’s day, in commemoration of both annual events, this article aims to bring awareness to blindness and vision impairment in children.

Vision impairment or loss can affect people of all ages, but it can be detected at an early age. Reduced eyesight can have minor or long-lasting effects on all aspects of life including personal daily activities and participation in school and work.

Jacqueline Gattegno, a Smart Vision Optometrist at Eyes InDesign Bondi, provides insight in identifying signs of vision problems in children.

The role of educators in detecting early signs in learner

Millions of children around the world experience signs of significant visual impairment, many of which are preventable and treatable.

Educators spend a significant amount of time with learners, therefore, they “play an important role in identifying early signs of eye problems in children,” Jacquie says. This detection reduces the risk of blindness.

There is an increase in the rate of vision-related issues in children, such as diabetic retinopathy, untreated glaucoma, un-operated cataract and myopia. These are preventable causes of blindness that can easily be attended to.

Teaching methods to accommodate such issues

Much of information and education that we receive is through vision, therefore it is important to adopt this knowledge in teaching children who are visually impaired.

Educators can play a crucial role in assisting the comfortably of a child’s learning, regardless of a child’s diagnoses of vision impairment; acute or severe. An adjustment in teaching methods and techniques can help reduce the severity of vision impairment in children.

Much of the strain of the eyes is caused by reading and focusing, particularly in the classroom and on digital screens. However there are other causes to consider that are hereditary.

Here are a few examples teachers can assist with children who experience the following conditions and diagnosis:

Retinopathy of Pre-maturity (ROP)

Retinopathy refers to the disease of the retina that is caused by an abnormal growth of the blood vessel. ROP usually affects children who are born prematurely with a low body mass.

Adaptation in teaching methods can be made by discouraging physical activity as a compulsory requirement as it may result in retinal detachment.

Albinism

Albinism is a lack of pigmentation in skin, hair and eyes. Pigment is necessary for retinal development, therefore, albinism impacts vision.

In learning environments, a high contrast of colours may be beneficial for children with albinism. For example, bright colours against dark backgrounds.

Coloboma of the eye

This is a physical defect of the eyes in children that occurs from birth. To treat this in classrooms, it is important to reduce the glare in learning environments, which can be decreased with dark curtains.

How to identify signs of myopia

The more myopic the higher the risk of screening issues that cause blindness. “It is important to know the difference between high and mild myopia as the level of severity increases the chances of blindness,” Jacquie says.

Mild myopia does not immediately increase a person’s risk of developing serious eye problems but left untreated it can.

High myopia, on the other hand, happens when a child’s eyeball grows longer than it should. If left untreated, high myopia complications can lead to blindness, so regular comprehensive visual eye examinations are critical. These are not the common sight tests offered by regular optometrists.

High myopia may raise the risk of a child developing serious conditions such as cataracts, detached retinas and glaucoma.  

Educators can identify signs of myopia in classrooms in the child has:

1. Poor school grades

2. Short attention span

3. Holding objects close to the face

4. Squinting

This month brings awareness to vision impairment and blindness. The awareness of the role teachers play in a child’s sight to reduce preventable blindness is crucial.

Vision problems such as myopia can be treated with highly successful, non-invasive, smart vision eye health treatment programmes, yet some optometrists and ophthalmologists recommend invasive laser eye surgery as the only option or quick fix. “Smart Vision Optometrists have a holistic approach to eyecare and therefore invasive surgery, which is a permanent disfigurement, is not considered a viable option and would only be suggested in extreme cases as an absolute last resort,” Jacquie said.

“If a child has any of the above symptoms then a comprehensive vision skills assessment is recommended immediately,” Jacquie concludes.

Smart Vision Optometry clinics are located in Sydney. Book a Smart Vision Comprehensive Vision Skills Assessment or Advanced Eye Health Test for any child or adult by calling the Bondi clinic (02) 9365 5047 or the Mosman clinic (02) 9969 1600, alternatively book an appointment online.

Myopia, or shortsightedness as it is commonly known, is on the rise. It’s the most common eye disorder in the world, and the biggest cause of visual impairment, especially in children. The facts are there for all to see. In 2010, an estimated 27 percent of people were struggling with a significant level of myopia, and by 2050, that figure is expected to rise to 52 percent.

The fact that myopia is linked to genetics is not disputed. However, genetics alone would not be enough to account for the rising incidence of myopia, and it’s now believed that environmental factors also play a role. Whatever the reasons for the rise of myopia, there have also been advances in its treatment. According to Australian behavioural optometrist Jacqueline Gattegno, reducing the progression of myopia is a real possibility – provided that intervention happens soon enough.

Myopia Control Treatments

Jacqueline says that contrary to popular belief, Myopia is a childhood problem. “It’s related to an increase in the axial length of the eyeball which results in poor focus on the retina. The progressive lengthening of the eyeball occurs during growth, with the eyes generally stabilising around the age of twenty. If myopia’s progression is to be slowed, treatment must occur during this time,” says Jacqueline. “Various non-surgical, drug-free methods have been explored, with the greatest successes coming from orthokeratology and the use of peripheral defocus lenses.”

Atropine drops appear in a lot of the research literature, but Jacqueline isn’t convinced that their use should be attempted or that they will result in the best possible outcomes. “There are side-effects,” says Jacqueline, “and the drops only seem to offer myopia control benefits during their first year of use. Following excellent results in early trials, it’s now widely believed that atropine drops don’t have sufficient long-term benefits to justify their use. Orthokeratology is drug-free and it works. There’s no reason to use a drug-based treatment.”  

Efficacy of Orthokeratology in Myopia Control

Studies support Jacqueline’s confidence in orthokeratology for myopia control, and the treatment itself is remarkably simple. Optometrists carefully map the eye and then create hard contact lenses that gently mould the cornea to allow for better light focus on the retina. The lenses aren’t worn by day. Instead, they’re worn during sleep, and the eye maintains the correct shape during waking hours.

Research shows that orthokeratology, or Ortho-K, can slow the progression of myopia in children by 36 to 56 percent. “It’s known that the higher the level of myopia in people of any age, the greater the risk of certain ocular pathologies that can lead to vision loss,” says Jacqueline, “so reducing myopia in childhood not only offers a good chance of better vision during adulthood, but may even prevent conditions like retinal detachment and age-related blindness’ later on.”

Myopia Control at Home

There’s at least one other therapy that can help children in slowing the progression of myopia – and parents can practice it for free at home. “Tell the kids to go and play outside,” says Jacqueline. “There have been some remarkable studies that have shown that just spending more time outdoors reduces the risk of rapid myopia progression. There was a measurable reduction in axial elongation and myopic shift during trials in Asia, and some experts even theorise that reduced time outdoors might be at least partially to blame for the myopia epidemic that’s currently being witnessed.”

It’s Time the World Started Talking About It

Jacqueline believes that the combination of orthokeratology and a healthy, active lifestyle can make a difference in combating the rise of myopia but is concerned that myopia control isn’t more widely talked-about. “Many parents have never heard of ortho-K or myopia control. They know about glasses and contact lenses, and they bring their children to get prescription eyewear. That provides an opportunity to tell them about treatment options, but it isn’t ideal.”

“Myopia control should be headline news. It’s exciting. The benefits are beyond price. It’s time the world started talking about it because we’re rapidly heading towards a situation in which half the world’s population is myopic with high myopes facing further risks to their vision,” concludes Jacqueline.

Smart Vision Optometry clinics are located in Sydney. Book a Smart Vision Comprehensive Vision Skills Assessment or Advanced Eye Health Test for any child or adult by calling the Bondi clinic (02) 9365 5047 or the Mosman clinic (02) 9969 1600, alternatively book an appointment online.Written and syndicated by: YDMA News, YDMA Group

Most stereotypes are based on prejudice, but occasionally, one pops up that’s based on fact – even if only remotely. “Smart kids wear glasses” could be among them, at least up to a point. Australian behavioural optometrist Jacqueline Gattegno sheds light on what is known regarding the intriguing link between myopia and IQ.

Studies Show that a Higher Percentage of Myopic Children do Well at School

The results of a 1958 study are tantalising. US-based researchers reported that children with myopia are inclined to have a higher IQ. Czech, Danish, and Israeli researchers were among those to corroborate the finding. This may seem like an open-and-shut conclusion, but nothing is ever as simple as it seems.

Related research showed that myopic children, regardless of IQ, tended to do better at school. With this piece of information to digest, it might seem that studying harder, better results, and myopia are all linked.

Long hours of study can certainly cause eye strain, this can lead to elongation of the eyeball which is myopia. Additionally, there’s a clear link between too much time spent indoors and myopia, indicating that the absence of natural light is also a problem for studious children.

However, researchers were alert to the question of whether higher IQs and myopia were related, and their investigations continued. Subsequent studies published in 2004 and 2006 by Professor Seang-Mei Saw and colleagues concluded that children with myopia really did tend to have higher IQs regardless of how much time they spent reading and studying.

Why Myopia and IQ are Linked

Given that research had shown the link between Myopia and higher IQ regardless of time spent hitting the books, the next question to address would be why children with myopia tended to have higher IQs. Unfortunately, the answer to that remains a matter for scientific speculation.

Professor Saw and her team of Singaporean researchers observed that there might be a link between the genes determining a predisposition to myopia and a higher IQ with the same sets of genes influencing both traits at once. They added the thought that genes affecting eye size and growth, which are linked to myopia, may also influence neocortical size, a factor which may be associated with IQ.

Many Kids with Myopia Can Live Without Glasses

“There seems to be a grain of scientific truth behind the myth that smart kids wear glasses,” says Jacqueline, “but advances in myopia control may change that. Already, children who are developing myopia are going without glasses or contact lenses. They are seeing perfectly thanks to orthokeratology, a non-surgical treatment that uses night-time wear of hard contact lenses.”“They reshape the cornea, not only eliminating the need for day-to-day correction for myopia, but also its progression. This type of treatment is already widely used. It is to be hoped that in time, there will be further advances in this field, and that children all over the world will have access to myopia control treatments. As a result, children with a predisposition towards myopia may not have to live with short-sightedness and may not need corrective eyewear at all. That will certainly be a happy ending.”

Smart Vision Optometry clinics are located in Sydney. Book a Smart Vision Comprehensive Vision Skills Assessment or Advanced Eye Health Test for any child or adult by calling the Bondi clinic (02) 9365 5047 or the Mosman clinic (02) 9969 1600, alternatively book an appointment online.

Written and syndicated by: YDMA News, YDMA Group

Sight begins in the eyes. But it doesn’t end there. The brain is needed to process and interpret data from the eyes. It’s not a simple process. One part of the brain conjures up an image based on the data it receives from the eyes. Other parts of the brain interpret it. The gift of sight involves much more than just the eyes. Gary Rodney, a behavioural optometrist and an expert in the field of myopia control guides us through a complex process that is often taken for granted: seeing.

The Brain’s Role in Vision

It all begins when a person decides to look at something. A part of the brain stem known as the “pons” tells the eyes to move towards the object, setting the surprisingly complex process that is vision into motion.

The brain is clearly divided into lobes, and the first part of the brain to process visual information is the occipital lobe which is situated at the back of the brain. The occipital lobe’s role in vision is proven and not just a matter of conjecture. When people suffer damage to this part of the brain as a result of illness or injury, they may experience visual disturbances, or even lose their sight completely.

There’s a difference between having an image and understanding it, and the occipital lobe can’t help with the latter. Instead, visual information requires further processing, and different parts of the brain do the work.

Visuospatial cognition takes place in the parietal lobe. This part of the brain is the seat of depth perception and helps with the coordination of movement based on data such as direction and distance. Reaching for, and successfully grasping an object, for example, requires several pieces of information. Recognising the object is a good start, but if it is to be handled, it’s location in relation to the body is a vital piece of information.

But recognition doesn’t take place in the parietal lobe. For that, the temporal lobe must contribute its share to the process of vision. It’s the seat of memory and it’s able to turn an image into something that’s recognisable based on prior experience.

Until quite recently, experts believed that the frontal lobe wasn’t involved in processing visual information, but it’s now believed to have a rather important role. The theory is supported by information from MRI scans that showed frontal lobe activity during the performance of certain visual tasks.

It’s believed that this part of the brain “focuses” on specific objects. To illustrate this, imagine a room full of various objects. A person is looking for his or her car keys, but plenty of other things are in view. The frontal lobe might be the part of the brain that helps with spotting those car keys among the clutter of other objects in view.

Super-Quick Communication Through a Neural Network

In order to transfer information from the eyes to the different parts of the brain that use and interpret visual information, a super-fast information highway is needed. The retina of the eye has special light-sensitive cells called rod and cone cells. When light strikes one of them, it sends a nerve impulse through the optic nerve to the occipital lobe which processes the information to make up part of an image.

But the image is without any meaning until the occipital lobe is able to match it with a memory. If there’s no match, this part of the brain will store it as a new memory, or it will still retain the memory, if only temporarily, categorising it into understandable information that can be used like “Oh that’s where the car keys are!”

It’s remarkable how quickly this all happens. Some researchers have equated the “speed of sight” as being equivalent to that of a good Ethernet connection, but that’s rather conservative as estimates go. It can be even faster. It’s theorised that the brain prioritises information and works a little more slowly when it deems information less than vitally important, saving its top speed for urgent data – like that obtained from rapidly approaching objects.

Behavioural Optometry: When Eye Tests are About More Than Just Eyes

With so much more than eyes involved in vision, it should come as no surprise that some optometrists do much more than just test the physical ability of the eyes to see clearly. “There’s a lot more to vision than just seeing,” says Gary. “That’s why behavioural optometrists test for visual skills as well as visual acuity. When visual skills need to be developed, it’s more than just a matter of prescribing glasses, but proven therapies can often help with vision problems that go beyond mere eyesight.”

For more information on vision therapy and how it works, or to book an appointment, visit the Smart Vision website: Optometrists Sydney: Optometry Services For Children and Adults | Smart Vision; for specific information about Myopia treatment and prevention visit Myopia Prevention: Solutions, Control And Treatment In Sydney; and for detailed information about Myopia Treatment visit Orthokeratology In Sydney: The Non Surgical Alternative.To book an appointment for a thorough eye check-up, click here or Call the Bondi clinic on (02) 9365 5047 or the Mosman clinic on (02) 9969 1600.

Studies Show that a Higher Percentage of Myopic Children do Well at School

The results of a 1958 study are tantalising. US-based researchers reported that children with myopia are inclined to have a higher IQ. Czech, Danish, and Israeli researchers were among those to corroborate the finding. This may seem like an open-and-shut conclusion, but nothing is ever as simple as it seems.

Related research showed that myopic children, regardless of IQ, tended to do better at school. With this piece of information to digest, it might seem that studying harder, better results, and myopia are all linked.

Long hours of study can certainly cause eye strain, this can lead to elongation of the eyeball which is myopia. Additionally, there’s a clear link between too much time spent indoors and myopia, indicating that the absence of natural light is also a problem for studious children.

However, researchers were alert to the question of whether higher IQs and myopia were related, and their investigations continued. Subsequent studies published in 2004 and 2006 by Professor Seang-Mei Saw and colleagues concluded that children with myopia really did tend to have higher IQs regardless of how much time they spent reading and studying.

Why Myopia and IQ are Linked

Given that research had shown the link between Myopia and higher IQ regardless of time spent hitting the books, the next question to address would be why children with myopia tended to have higher IQs. Unfortunately, the answer to that remains a matter for scientific speculation.

Professor Saw and her team of Singaporean researchers observed that there might be a link between the genes determining a predisposition to myopia and a higher IQ with the same sets of genes influencing both traits at once. They added the thought that genes affecting eye size and growth, which are linked to myopia, may also influence neocortical size, a factor which may be associated with IQ.

Many Kids with Myopia Can Live Without Glasses

“There seems to be a grain of scientific truth behind the myth that smart kids wear glasses,” says Jacqueline, “but advances in myopia control may change that. Already, children who are developing myopia are going without glasses or contact lenses. They are seeing perfectly thanks to orthokeratology, a non-surgical treatment that uses night-time wear of hard contact lenses.”“They reshape the cornea, not only eliminating the need for day-to-day correction for myopia, but also its progression. This type of treatment is already widely used. It is to be hoped that in time, there will be further advances in this field, and that children all over the world will have access to myopia control treatments. As a result, children with a predisposition towards myopia may not have to live with short-sightedness and may not need corrective eyewear at all. That will certainly be a happy ending.”

Smart Vision Optometry clinics are located in Sydney. Book a Smart Vision Comprehensive Vision Skills Assessment or Advanced Eye Health Test for any child or adult by calling the Bondi clinic (02) 9365 5047 or the Mosman clinic (02) 9969 1600, alternatively book an appointment online.

Written and syndicated by: YDMA News, YDMA Group

He welcomes both the annual international Myopia Awareness Week in May, and the World Council of Optometry (WCO) Board of Directors decision to approve a resolution which advises optometrists to incorporate a standard of care for myopia management in their practices. This includes three approaches aimed at advising parents and patients on risk factors in order to delay the onset of myopia; regular eye tests which, when possible, include measuring the myopia refractive error and axial length; as well as a management programme based on correcting and controlling myopia with an eye to patients’ future eye health and quality of life.

Getting Myopia and its Management Under Control

Rodney says he is hopeful that these and other similar programmes, together with a new generation of myopia treatments might stop the existing lack of consensus as to ways to treat and manage this so-far incurable vision problem, which has been increasing its prevalence at epidemic level year after year, and impacted on more and more people’s sight and lives.

“A considerable increase in awareness and consensus on treatment and management of this vision error could show some light at the end of its blurry tunnel. It’s just sad that reaching this point has taken almost as many years as it’s taken for myopia to increase from affecting a small and manageable number of children to a point at which it’s projected to affect every second person by 2050. And even sadder, is that we have still not found a cure for myopia,” Rodney says. 

He said a recent global survey revealed that 82% of eye care professions expressed concern that their young patients would face the impact of serious eye health and myopia issues as they got older. But what was troubling to him, was that more than half of them laid the problem at the door of parents’ lack of awareness. Yet, according to another survey in Australia, many of them were themselves not taking advantage of the new methods of myopia treatment and control. 

According to Rodney, more than half of the respondents said they were still using single vision distance glasses to treat child myopia, and providing new and stronger glasses each year as the myopia continued to progress, despite their being aware of newer approaches and treatments that were proving to be more successful. 

And, at the same time, more and more eye specialists and scientists were agreeing that single vision glasses, the accepted method for treating myopia for many decades, do little more than clearing distance sight with a series of increasingly strong lenses, and may actually increase the progression of the vision error.

Why Myopia Management is So Important

He says that nearsightedness develops when either the cornea or the eye’s lens have an abnormal shape, or the eyeball is too long. This can cause the focus of messages carried into the eyes to be in front of the retina rather than on it, resulting in blurred distance vision. But many people are unaware that myopia is about far more than this. 

Rodney says It has been linked to the world’s largest causes of vision loss, cataract, glaucoma, macular degeneration and retinal detachment, and according to its level of severeness, puts people with myopia at greater risk of getting them. With moderate myopia the risks of glaucoma double, cataract triples, retinal detachments are nine times greater, and macular degeneration ten times more likely. If myopia is allowed to progress to the high myopia level, the risks rise to three times higher for glaucoma, five times for cataract, and the chances of a detached retina increase by 21 times, while the risk of macular degeneration rises to 40 times more. 

Moves Away from Standard Glasses for Myopics

While myopia treatments have mostly moved towards the use of specially-designed contact lenses of various types, including both multi-focus and single distance lenses, when it comes to Orthokeratology the contact lens is part of an overnight treatment programme. This contact lens is gas-permeable and temporarily reshapes the cornea, and if properly used on a nightly basis, has been shown to enable myopes to not have to wear glasses during the day.

Two new ideas have entered the myopia treatment sector recently, one of which is a is a single-day contact lens clinically proven to slow myopia progression when used early enough in the progression. The other, Rodney says, returns to the idea of ordinary single-vision glasses. However, this new pair of spectacles is not ordinary, instead using spectacle lenses which have either slightly or highly aspherical lenslets. 

HEAR: Ultra106.5FM Interview with Gary Rodney – Covid and Myopia: What you need to know!

For more information on myopia and Smart Vision’s approach to myopia management, or to book an appointment, visit the Smart Vision website: Optometrists Sydney: Optometry Services For Children and Adults | Smart Vision; for specific information about Myopia treatment and prevention visit Myopia Prevention: Solutions, Control And Treatment In Sydney; and for detailed information about Myopia Treatment visit Orthokeratology In Sydney: The Non Surgical Alternative.

To book an appointment for a thorough eye check-up, click here or Call the Bondi clinic on (02) 9365 5047 or the Mosman clinic on (02) 9969 1600.

Syndicated by Baxton Media, The Market Influencers, Your Digital Marketing Agency.

Gattegno says that many drivers, happy with their standard test results, are often unaware that they have one of many vision errors such as myopia (nearsightedness) which limit the distance at which people see clearly; or visual coordination issues that result in unstable or double vision. And statistics show that in 23% (close to one in four of the world’s drivers) these vision problems are uncorrected.

Signs of Trouble

An Optometry Australia survey found that just under 20 percent of drivers in the 35 to 54 age group find it difficult to see signposts when driving. 15% of them said they squinted during the day in order to address this, and more than 20% said they found themselves squinting at night.

Other factors listed by drivers included eye fatigue and dry eyes after long periods spent in front of the computer screen at work, and the glare caused by the setting sun as they drove home, specially when they were driving directly towards it. After sunset problems were identified as eye irritation caused by direct exposure to the bright lights of oncoming cars, as well as reflections on wet roads and signposts, and the changing colours of traffic lights.

Eye Test Doesn’t Cover Everything

According to Rodney, founder of Smart Vision Optometry in Australia and fellow of the International Academy of Orthokeratology and Myopia Control (FIAOMC), these responses indicate that relying on the eye test taken to get a driver’s license as an indication that all is well with a driver’s vision, could be a mistake. These tests in most countries, including Australia, rely on eye acuity, or how well the would-be driver’s eyes can see an object at a certain distance. This is determined by their ability to read the letters on the standard Snellen chart.

Rodney says this leaves out a big, and vital section of vision needed for driving safely. The gap lies in that it doesn’t test the driver’s ability to understand what is being seen, or react to it appropriately and quickly, particularly when they see something unexpected, such as a child suddenly crossing the road, or a car stopping just ahead of them for no apparent reason.

Acuity vs Vision

He says the ability to respond quickly is vital to safe driving, and this is not affected by eyesight, or determined by how far someone can see. It’s the relevant, usable, and applicable information that’s provided by perceptual vision following teamwork between eye and brain in processing the information gathered by sight.

This makes it important, Rodney says, that when testing sight for driver’s licenses, vision tests should also be included that determine other factors besides those indicated by the standard acuity test.

To learn more about perceptual vision and Smart Vision’s approach to Myopia management and vision therapy, visit the Smart Vision website: Optometrists Sydney: Optometry Services For Children and Adults | Smart Vision; for specific information about Myopia treatment and prevention visit Myopia Prevention: Solutions, Control And Treatment In Sydney; and for detailed information about Myopia Treatment visit Orthokeratology In Sydney: The Non Surgical Alternative.

To book an appointment for a thorough eye check-up, click here or Call the Bondi clinic on (02) 9365 5047 or the Mosman clinic on (02) 9969 1600.

Syndicated by Baxton Media, The Market Influencers, Your Digital Marketing Agency.

Epidemics Don’t Leave Quietly

Rodney says these eye experts are concerned that the myopia epidemic will bring about a “new normal” of its own, and they are even more concerned that it may have already done so through its close relationship with urban areas and the lifestyles people follow there.

“Any epidemic, or a pandemic like the current Covid-19 virus, will leave chaos in its wake as it runs through the world’s population. And it won’t be just its effects on the physical health of those it’s targeted that will be left behind. There will also be a trail of physical, emotional, and social stress that will affect millions of people’s lives and how they live them. And the Myopia epidemic is no exception. It’s been leaving a widening trail of people with this refractive error since it started its upward curve in the 1970s,” Rodney says. 

Statistics show that developed and urbanised countries like the USA, UK, South America, East Asia and some European countries, have been hardest hit by the myopic onslaught and have the biggest number of people dealing with the eye impairment which leads to their seeing anything further than 20ft away as a blur, and only having clear vision when looking at something close to hand. Unable to see the whole or long-term picture the same way as those with normal vision, many myopics (and specially those who have severe levels of myopia) tend to adopt a world view based on their own shortened and narrowed perception of views, objects and actions that are only clear when close by.

Urbanisation Growing Alongside Myopia

According to Rodney urban lifestyle could seem to be an ideal place for myopics to thrive. It’s surroundings, environment, culture and focuses revolve around speed in manufacture and development; quick turn-around time; short-term investments, and large debts; close work; inside living; take-out meals; and multiple screens, all of which exclude long-term views, plans and concern about consequences. And it seems the cities have happily accepted them, as well as the wider understanding and use of the word “myopia” and concept of shortsightedness, which are both becoming popular topics and descriptions of attitudes outside the vision arena. After many years of dormancy, these old-fashioned terms are back in political and business rhetoric to challenge speeches or decisions considered to be ignoring the long term and its consequences; and in psychology, “mental myopia” is being used to describe someone’s narrow and biased reactions to others.

However, instead of seeing this as an ideal arrangement, Rodney says matching urbanisation and myopia appears to increase the onset of myopia and the speed at which it progresses, while increased numbers of myopics may raise the influence of short-term approach to work and lifestyle in the city as it expands its share of the population.

The jury is still out as to which came first, and which will have the greatest impact on living and seeing in a myopic world. That’s because alongside the myopia epidemic, and with similar timing, urbanisation numbers have also been soaring upwards in their own “epidemic” since the 1970’s. Since then it’s risen from 1,3billion, or a third of the population living in or near cities, to 3,3billion (or half the population) by 2007, and reached 4,62billion in 2019. And by 2050, 6billion city dwellers (or two out of three of the world’s population), are expected to be crowded into cities which already house more than half the world’s population on less than 10% of the earth’s habitable land.

For more information on myopia, its treatment and management, or to make an appointment, visit the Smart Vision website: Optometrists Sydney: Optometry Services For Children and Adults | Smart Vision; for specific information about Myopia treatment and prevention visit Myopia Prevention: Solutions, Control And Treatment In Sydney; and for detailed information about Myopia Treatment visit Orthokeratology In Sydney: The Non Surgical Alternative.

To book an appointment for a thorough eye check-up, click here or Call the Bondi clinic on (02) 9365 5047 or the Mosman clinic on (02) 9969 1600.

Syndicated by Baxton Media, The Market Influencers, Your Digital Marketing Agency.

Why It’s Important to Contain the Surge of Myopia

Rodney says that the effects of the refractive error stretch far further than how it influences vision by causing myopics to see everything close by clearly but anything further away as a blur. It affects and worsens other eye dysfunctions, and impairments like cataracts, non-age-related macular degeneration, glaucoma and retinal detachment, and it can also impact on the emotional, functional, learning and social aspects of the lives of those who have it, as well as their self-image, and ability to feel that they fit into a world they can’t see properly. 

Passed-on Lifestyle Habits Could be at Core of a Spiking Myopiademic

According to Rodney, studies that show children born to myopic parents are more likely to also be myopic, (three times more likely if only one parent is myopic, and six times more if both are) have long attributed this to a variety of genes. However, Rodney says researchers and eye doctors are currently shifting their focus towards the possibility that the parent-child increase in myopic risk might have less (or nothing) to do with genes after all.

The catalyst may instead be entrenched in the passing down, generation after generation, of the family lifestyle to young children who, in learning about their new world, tend to copy their parents’ lifestyle patterns as if these are the blueprint of life. And, Rodney says, if the family has lived in or around a city for generations, the “blueprint” passed on in terms of family history will be that of the second biggest threat in terms of prolonging the epidemic, the urban lifestyle. This way of life involves confined indoor-living in which too little time is spent exercising, or outdoors under natural light; and too much is spent in front of screens in small areas lit by artificial light, all of which have been identified as increasing the onset, and speeding up the progression of myopia.

How Myopia Could Take Over the World’s Vision

Myopia has been increasing its prevalence at a fast rate since the 1970s when under a million people were myopic. Currently it’s believed to be affecting nearly 3billion people, or one third of the world population, and projections suggest it could rise to impacting on one out of two (or around 5 billion) people by 2050.

“ The current myopia epidemic has been running up the graph fairly closely in sync with a similar but slightly faster surge in urbanisation, which is projected to reach a point by 2050 where two out of three of the global population will be living urban lifestyles,” Rodney says.

What concerns him is that this could lead to an even more blurry future in the decades that follow 2050, perhaps even leading to a world in which almost everyone could be subject to low myopia, at the very least. And where a far bigger share of those myopics than the 10% (up from 2,2 % 50 years ago) projected for the more severe levels of high or pathological myopia in 2050, may become a very harsh reality.

These statistics and projections may seem trivial with regard to the prevalence of myopia down the line, Rodney says, when the intrinsic risks to children of being born to myopic parents are taken into account. This suggests that everybody could be at risk of being affected by myopia because in a world half populated by myopics, at least one parent (and probably both) of every child born in the second half of the century, would be likely to be myopic. And this could start an endless vicious circle which could propel myopia still further and faster towards taking over the whole world’s vision.

To learn more about the myopia epidemic, its treatment and management, and more importantly what you can do to prevent it, or to make an appointment, visit the Smart Vision website: Optometrists Sydney: Optometry Services For Children and Adults | Smart Vision; for specific information about Myopia treatment and prevention visit Myopia Prevention: Solutions, Control And Treatment In Sydney; and for detailed information about Myopia Treatment visit Orthokeratology In Sydney: The Non Surgical Alternative.

To book an appointment for a thorough eye check-up, click here or Call the Bondi clinic on (02) 9365 5047 or the Mosman clinic on (02) 9969 1600.

Syndicated by Baxton Media, The Market Influencers, Your Digital Marketing Agency.

He says that while it is hard to determine exactly how far that connection goes, indications are that both myopia and cataracts do indeed affect each other in terms of levels of severity. And both may individually be the cause of the other one’s development in certain situations. But, like the never fully answered question about which one comes first, the chicken or the egg, there is no definitive answer to this mystery either.

How Myopia Can Affect Cataract Development

Rodney said that in most cases, when people start to see their vision cloud over and become blurred as they develop cataracts on one or both eyes, it is because of a protein build up on the lens or lenses, a process which is seen as a natural part of aging. However, high myopia has been shown to often have a hand in when and if this happens. Statistically, having high myopia can double the risk of these fuzzy invaders blurring the lenses, and it can also lead to cataracts starting earlier in life.

Types of Cataracts

There are three types of cataracts, the nuclear cataract which develops in the center of the eye; the cortical cataract which is wedge-shaped, starts at the edges of the lens and progresses towards the centre; and the posterior capsular cataract that forms behind the lens and blocks light from reaching the retina.

It is also possible for babies to be born with congenital cataracts or for them to form in the first year of life, a situation which parallels a similar pattern to that of myopia development in some cases.

A Misleading “Holiday” from Reading Glasses

According to Rodney, those with high myopia are more prone to developing nuclear cataracts. And, strange as it may seem, the development of the cataract, either in the same place or behind the lens, itself has a tendency to cause a refractive change towards myopia, called a myopic shift.

This actually improves the close-up vision of some of the elderly, giving them hope by removing their need for reading glasses – for a while. Sadly, this so-called Second Sight is more of a brief reprieve rather than a long-term fix and doesn’t usually last very long, Rodney says.   

Research shows that the myopic shift happens in both nuclear cataracts (low to mild grade) as well as with posterior subcapsular ones of a mild to advanced grade, and can achieve an average improvement of best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) of 20/43 to 20/32, as well as showing a noticeable shift towards myopia which also increased with the cataract’s stage of development.

Treatment methods

Currently, promising research is being done into eye-drops that contain a natural compound called lanosterol, which researchers suggest may dissolve cataracts. This natural compound already exists in the eye lens and is responsible for keeping the lens transparent.

At present surgery is the standard procedure used to remove and replace the damaged lens. However, there again, high myopia can interfere, causing complications in surgery such as retinal detachment or possibly causing a variable postoperative refractive error which removes the ability to see a few inches away. A second operation may be needed to correct this.

For more information visit the Smart Vision website: Optometrists Sydney: Optometry Services For Children and Adults | Smart Vision; for specific information about Myopia treatment and prevention visit Myopia Prevention: Solutions, Control And Treatment In Sydney; and for detailed information about Myopia Treatment visit Orthokeratology In Sydney: The Non Surgical Alternative.

To book an appointment for a thorough eye check-up, click here or Call the Bondi clinic on (02) 9365 5047 or the Mosman clinic on (02) 9969 1600.

Syndicated by Baxton Media, The Market Influencers, Your Digital Marketing Agency.

Rodney says this degeneration can occur in people who are even mildly short-sighted when there’s unnatural and extreme elongation of the eyeball, the extent of which governs the level of degeneration. However, it is far more likely to happen to those with high levels of this refractive eye disorder. Extreme stretching of the retina can result in tears in either the retina or in the macula, the sharpest sight area and controller of a person’s ability to see straight ahead of them. It can also lead to detachment from the retina.

Small Area Takes a Big Role in Straight Sight

Sometimes also known as the yellow spot, the macula is a small area situated near the centre of the retina. This 5mm spot is the part that receives the light rays which carry information about what a person is seeing through their eyes, for transfer to the brain in the form of electrical signals for processing into a “picture” and understanding of what is seen.

Rodney says that if the macula is torn or becomes detached from the retina, central sight can be affected considerably, and eventually may be lost almost completely. Fortunately, peripheral sight, which controls how much is seen on the boundaries, remains undamaged which is why the full image of the picture frame can still be seen (but not the image inside it).

The Progression of MMD

According to Rodney, Myopic Macular Degeneration, also known as Myopic Maculopathy, carries similar symptoms to those of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), including sensitivity to light, distortion of straight lines, light flashes, floaters and headaches, as well as having difficultly reading or seeing faces.

But where he says it does differ is that unlike AMD it can in some cases degenerate very quickly. However, more commonly it follows AMD’s pattern in taking up to 10 years to fully develop to a level classed as legal blindness, with care and treatment in the form of injections or laser procedures.

MMD also doesn’t necessarily wait to strike vision, usually starting degeneration at a younger age than the 55+ age group  most likely to fall prey to AMD, and when  high myopia (over -6.00 D) is involved, it can even start as early as childhood.

For more information visit the Smart Vision website: Optometrists Sydney: Optometry Services For Children and Adults | Smart Vision; for specific information about Myopia treatment and prevention visit Myopia Prevention: Solutions, Control And Treatment In Sydney; and for detailed information about Myopia Treatment visit Orthokeratology In Sydney: The Non Surgical Alternative.

To book an appointment for a thorough eye check-up, click here or Call the Bondi clinic on (02) 9365 5047 or the Mosman clinic on (02) 9969 1600.

Syndicated by Baxton Media, The Market Influencers, Your Digital Marketing Agency.

Gattegno says that many of these problems are not something schoolchildren can necessarily just grow out of, but many can be minimised from further breakdown or improved with treatment or vision therapy, as long as there is timely intervention.

Without treatment, she said, the situation, and the children’s consequent view of life and the world around them, is likely to get worse with time and age, as the visual impairment progresses to more severe levels. The end result could be that not only their classroom learning experience could be negatively affected, but also the way they live their adult life, perform in their career, and handle social interactions and relationships. And that’s in addition to the impact vision problems can have on sight acuity as the years go by.

Missing the Possible Source

“The numbers just keep growing, but the message is still not getting through clearly enough that in the classroom, what could be construed as bad behaviour, laziness, low performance, difficulty reading, or inadequate responses to questions, might actually be the result of undisclosed or not yet identified vision problems,” she said.

According to Rodney, this misunderstanding can result in misdiagnoses which ascribe these children’s poor performance to ADHD, dyslexia, autism and many more similar disorders, which could be remediated with appropriate intervention. The problem may lie within the visual system, either partially or completely, says Rodney. And, even when the diagnosis is correct, vision problems may also be part of it, and silently making it worse. He said checking for vision problems and controlling them or treating them with vision therapy could make a big difference to the outcome.

Causes of Children Seeing The World Differently

What the children see around them could be distorted by vision problems such as a “lazy eye” (amblyopia), which can appear normal, but could end up sightless because of its poor vision in comparison with the other eye; misalignment of the eyes (strabismus); or refractive errors like myopia (nearsightedness), hyperopia ( farsightedness), and astigmatism, all of which don’t receive the light-carried data correctly, or in the right place, because of misshapen corneas or eyeballs.

Child Vision Problems on the Increase

According to Rodney, the number of children with vision problems, and the level of severity of those impairments, has been shown to grow exponentially as students progress with their studies, particularly when the disorder is myopia. Nearsightedness, which allows for clear vision only when the object is close by, and presents everything at a distance as a blur, has been increasing its grip on children’s eyes since the middle of last century and is soaring to new levels every decade to a point where it is being seen as an epidemic.

Keeping an Eye on Vision

He said it was vital that today’s schoolchildren were taken for regular eye check-ups to keep track of their eye health. But it was also vital that parents and teachers were alert to signs that could indicate the existence of a vision disorder.

These include problems with focusing, having trouble reading what’s written on the blackboard, or seeing what’s happening in the distance. This can lead to difficulty in reading, squinting, and frequently rubbing eyes, as well as constantly holding a book very close when reading, or moving nearer to the screen when watching it.

For more information visit the Smart Vision website: Optometrists Sydney: Optometry Services For Children and Adults | Smart Vision; for specific information about Myopia treatment and prevention visit Myopia Prevention: Solutions, Control And Treatment In Sydney; and for detailed information about Myopia Treatment visit Orthokeratology In Sydney: The Non Surgical Alternative.

To book an appointment for a thorough eye check-up, click here  or Call the Bondi clinic on (02) 9365 5047 or the Mosman clinic on (02) 9969 1600.

Syndicated by Baxton Media, The Market Influencers, Your Digital Marketing Agency.

But Rodney, the founder of Smart Vision Optometry, said that what is comforting, is that effective treatments for controlling the progression of this refractive disorder are already available. Ongoing campaigns are being run in many countries, including Australia and the US, to increase awareness of Myopia and to look for new solutions to cut it’s progression and its prevalence, which has currently reached epidemic levels.  

The refractive eye impairment is the result of the cornea or lens having an abnormal shape or the eyeball being longer from front to back and the light rays which convey messages about what’s seen to the eyes fall in front of the retina instead of on it. Rodney says that why this happens is still not certain, but links to genetics and lifestyles such as too little exposure to natural light, and too much time spent on close work or screen viewing have been made.

Drop in Myopia for First Time in 10 years 

In Taiwan the latest statistics show a drop in myopia among elementary schoolchildren for the first time in the past 10 years. This follows their Health Promotion Administration introducing its “Vision Protection 123” campaign based on vision protection, more time outdoors, and increased access to natural light. Recent data showed the numbers decreasing for the first time in decades, dropping by 5% from a prevalence of close on 50% to just over 44%. This is also a first for Asia, where statistics have continued to swing higher into and beyond the 80 and 90 percentile in many areas.

Heading Towards Myopia Affecting One Out of Two by 2050

The number of children and adults dealing with its consequences globally has been growing exponentially since the 1970’s. And in the past decade has reached a point where its current epidemic speed suggests that by 2050 every second person in the world may only see objects that are close clearly, and those at a distance as a blur. Unfortunately, Rodney said a  proportion of them will go on to age-related blindness due to the eyeball stretching.

“We now know that for every dioptre of increased myopia there is an exponential increase in the risk of age-related blindness,” he said. “Lower levels do not necessarily reduce the likelihood of serious vision problems completely, nor does it indicate that the levels won’t change with progression.”

Rodney says that is why it is so important to check children’s eyes regularly, with a practitioner aware of myopia treatment options, and to continue doing so if there were any signs that the myopia is progressing quickly and likely to enter the high or pathological myopia level of -6.00 diopters or more.

Rodney said many options are available wen it comes to managing Myopia, and ways to control progression, including the special night-time gas-permeable contact lenses which are used in Orthokeratology. These lenses temporarily reshape the cornea to lesson the refractive errors which confuse vision, and can be used both as primary therapy and a way to slow the progression. 

For more information visit the Smart Vision website: Optometrists Sydney: Optometry Services For Children and Adults | Smart Vision; for specific information about Myopia treatment and prevention visit Myopia Prevention: Solutions, Control And Treatment In Sydney; and for detailed information about Myopia Treatment visit Orthokeratology In Sydney: The Non Surgical Alternative.

To book an appointment for a thorough eye check-up, click here or Call the Bondi clinic on (02) 9365 5047 or the Mosman clinic on (02) 9969 1600.

Syndicated by Baxton Media, The Market Influencers, Your Digital Marketing Agency.

Putting the Picture Together

Rodney, a Master of Optometry holder and fellow of the International Academy of Orthokeratology and Myopia Control (FIAOMC), says treating nearsighted (myopic) children has shown him what happens when that data is faulty or incomplete. These children, who can only see close objects clearly, will see anything as a blur if it’s in the distance, and will be totally unable to put that blurred image into a “frame” of perception.

He said the brain normally interprets the eyes’ signals by using built-up memories of shapes, textures, colours and locations, and transforms this into thought processes which enable us to perceive what we are seeing and make use of the information. This process is what distinguishes perceptual vision from eyesight. It puts what’s seen into perspective by providing a picture that’s set in the context of its construction, colour and environment, all of which give the image a meaning which the viewer can understand, react to, and use.

When the Message Fails, the Picture Blurs

When it comes to the millions of people around the globe who see the world through the blur caused by nearsightedness, Rodney says the messages to the brain would be compromised, providing data only about a blur of sorts, and without the detail and clarity the brain needs in order to process the signals into a picture that’s placed in a context which can be easily understood.

With eye impairments, and especially refractive ones such as myopia, the data carried by the light can be compromised. Due to changes in the shape of myopic eyes, the the eyeball gets longer causing the light rays to focus in front of the retina, instead of on it. This changes the range of vision, and affects the distance focus, resulting in less clarity and detail in the data amassed for the brain.

Progressive myopia, Rodney says, can worsen as a child grows, continuing to do so until they reach their late 20’s, and in severe cases can lead to the formation of cataracts and in some instances, blindness. It can also impact on social development, skills like reading and maths, school performance and behaviour in the classroom.

Dealing With the Blur

Incurable, myopia can be treated in various ways, including using Orthokeratology, a treatment which is showing excellent results using nighttime contact lenses to temporarily reshape the cornea, and so lessen the refraction errors which result in confused vision. Vision therapy, during which myopics receive training in how to see what they are looking at and determine its relevance, is also proving to bring about dramatic changes in the visual worlds of many children who are treated at his Smart Vision optometry clinics in Sydney, Australia..

For more information visit the Smart Vision website: Optometrists Sydney: Optometry Services For Children and Adults | Smart Vision; for specific information about Myopia treatment and prevention visit Myopia Prevention: Solutions, Control And Treatment In Sydney; and for detailed information about Myopia Treatment visit Orthokeratology In Sydney: The Non Surgical Alternative.

To book an appointment for a thorough eye check-up, click here or Call the Bondi clinic on (02) 9365 5047 or the Mosman clinic on (02) 9969 1600.

Syndicated by Baxton Media, The Market Influencers, Your Digital Marketing Agency.

The Eyes Response to Digital Strain

Rodney and Gattegno say many of the veteran remote workers and some of the newcomers have probably already experienced the aftereffects of digital eye strain at the end of the day in the form of tiredness, blurred or double vision, dry eyes, or an inability to focus clearly on objects which are further away. Other possible symptoms include burning or itching eyes, increased light sensitivity, watery eyes, and headaches. All of these might seem to ease off after a period of rest, but there is no guarantee that permanent and more serious and lasting damage is not being done, Rodney said.

He says the workers who joined the trend years ago who have felt these results may have taken the correct steps to protect their eyes by establishing work routines that include regular breaks from the computer and spending some of them outdoors, where they can switch their focus to objects that are further away, and also enjoy the effects of natural light as opposed to the blue light generated by screens, mobile phones and tablets.

But he fears that those who make up the new “work from home, or don’t work at all” work culture created by the lockdowns may not see the switch to working from home as anything more than a lifesaver, and may only realise too late that they could be paying a big price for it.

HEAR: Gary Rodney Interviewed By David Wood Ultra106five.com

“Most of them started working from home without structure or direction, and did so while burdened with fears regarding the health threat, their ability to pay debts, and concern about how to put food on the table,” Rodney said. “Eye safety measures such as switching focus distances and spending time outdoors, were probably far from their minds.”

Trapped at the Screen

According to Rodney, a fellow of the International Academy of Orthokeratology and Myopia Control (FIAOMC), scientists have stressed the importance of these measures when linking both extended screen time and the indoor lifestyle it creates, with the development and progression of serious eye impairments. This is particularly relevant when it comes to myopia, an eye impairment which affects the focus of millions of people around the world and has reached epidemic proportions in terms of a sharp spike in its increasing prevalence, and increased speed in its progression.

Also known as nearsightedness, this refractive eye condition causes people to see objects clearly only if they are close by, and to see nothing but blurs when trying to focus on anything at a distance. Rodney says the myopic focus problem would be worsened by the constant reinforcement of focus that’s restricted to one point for extended periods, as it is in most remote work.  

He said that this has been accentuated in the new lockdown breed of remote workers, who were forced to stay inside in accordance with lockdown regulations, and spent their days facing an abnormal load of online work. This could include taking part in online conferences, negotiating with clients, dealing with data collection and administrative duties, emailing, placing orders and arranging deliveries, all of which require a single (short) concentrated focal distance when done online, and which also led to constant exposure to the blue light emitted by the screen.

To learn more about the dangers of digital eye strain, and the risks of myopia, visit Rodney’s Myopia Prevention: Solutions, Control And Treatment In Sydney or the Smart Vision website: Optometrists Sydney: Optometry Services For Children and Adults | Smart Vision.

Click here to book an appointment online or Call the Bondi clinic on (02) 9365 5047, or the Mosman clinic on (02) 9969 1600.  

Syndicated by Baxton Media, The Market Influencers, Your Digital Marketing Agency.

Rodney says he understands how easy it would be to overlook eye care as the lockdowns slowly lift in the wake of the rampaging pandemic. Dealing with the back-to-school process, and adapting to work routines all over again, is challenging at the best of times. Doing so against a backdrop of constant talk about an undefined “new normal” that might change their world forever, while still stressed by the virus and lockdown regulations, will not make it any easier.

From Lockdown Stress to Myopia Epidemic

However, according to Rodney, it is vital that parents are aware that they could unknowingly be sending their children from a new pandemic straight into an epidemic, one that has seen myopia affecting the eyesight of millions of people around the globe in the past few decades and which is showing no signs of slowing down any time soon.

Testing children for the eye condition, or making sure they resume treatment if it’s been interrupted during lockdown, is especially important because of the increased screen time and restricted outdoor activity the lockdown lifestyle encouraged. Rodney says these two actions have been linked to a marked increase in the prevalence of myopia, and to speeding up the condition’s rate of progression. Further he says “We are seeing a significant increase in our clinics in eyestrain and impacted functional vision skills just from three to four weeks of Lockdown screen usage at home”

Understanding Myopia

Myopia, also known as nearsightedness, is a refractive eye condition which affects distance focus, blurring anything that’s more than a few feet away. Progressive myopia is where the eyeball continues to elongate and stretch. This causes irreversible damage to the back of the eye as the retina is stretched. This can become a serious eye impairment which can lead to blindness later in life. Rodney says traditionally the majority of optometrists and ophthalmologists simply prescribe single focus distance glasses and contact lenses as has been done for years which is the worst thing you can do as far as myopia prevention is concerned.

HEAR: Gary Rodney Interviewed By David Wood Ultra106five.com

However Rodney says there are now evidence based options to control the progression and prevent the eyes from being harmed further. Everyone should educate themselves as to what is possible and what is this myopia epidemic.

He says that perhaps, as Australians return to work in a way still governed in their minds by the “old” normal while at the same time trying to come to grips with the concept of the “new” normal, they will get a bit more insight into what it means to be myopic and how huge the problem is becoming in our modern device driven world. Surrounded by a blur of changing figures and regulations, as well as inundated with endless true and fake news and information, they will find it difficult to get a clear picture of what the future may hold. And this, in turn, will make it impossible to perceive what that picture will mean to them and how they will fit into it.

For more information on myopia, its treatment and management, visit https://www.myopiaprevention.com.au 

Click here to book an appointment online or call either of Smart Vision’s two Sydney clinics at (02) 9365 5047 (Bondi), or on (02) 9969 1600 (Mosman). 

Syndicated by Baxton Media, The Market Influencers, Your Digital Marketing Agency.

HEAR: Gary Rodney Interviewed By David Wood Ultra106five.com

Rodney said the reports speak of phones and tablets braced against hands too small to hold them, and with cartoon-streaming digital devices placed in pushchair pockets close to tiny faces. 

Rodney says he does not “blame” parents for doing this. Instead he believes it is the result of a lack of awareness on many Australian parents’ part regarding how babies’ and children’s eyes develop in the first months and years of their lives, and the importance of protecting their children from becoming part of the statistics that indicate myopia will affect half the world’s population by 2050.

Pushchair Screen-time Affects a Baby’s Eyesight

Rodney says exposing babies to screens could unintentionally increase their chances of becoming myopic. Lack of time spent outdoors and too much screen time are two links identified by studies as having possible ties to the development of this treatable but incurable refractive eye condition. This has led to the American Academy of Paediatrics recommending that children under two years old should not watch screens at all, and older children should be limited to around 2 hours a day.

He said babies in prams or pushchairs are extremely vulnerable as their eyesight is still developing, and will continue to do so at least until they reach their third birthday. Newborn babies are shortsighted and unable to see further than a foot (30cm) away, without what they’re seeing becoming blurred, even if that happens to be their parents. This nearsightedness will normally disappear as the baby’s eyesight develops, but not in all cases.

An Eyesight Threat Not Just an Inconvenience

Near or short sightedness are the layman’s terms for myopia, Rodney said, labels which do not sound serious or threatening, and can often be misunderstood to be an inconvenience which can be fixed with a pair of glasses.

“These terms don’t paint a true picture of myopia and how it feels to see everything that’s more than a few feet away as a blur. It can leave a feeling of confusion in children who come to realise they cannot see, or interpret what they are seeing, as others do. For them a blur is a blur, whether it’s actually a tree, a mountain range, or even the family pet playing in the backyard. 

“Their vision is trapped where it was when they were babies in prams and pushchairs. Only now, they are not babies developing their eyesight, but children having to learn about, and react to, a world around them in a world where their eyesight has not developed in the same way as their peers’. When they go to school they are expected to assimilate information, most of which is presented in the form of images some distance away, and is often nothing but a blur to them. This can impact on performance at school,” Rodney says.

The Importance of Myopia Treatment

Unless the right treatment is given, the eye impairment can worsen progressively until children reach their late 20’s when it usually levels off. And later in life can become a serious eye problem which can lead to blindness. 

Smart Vision Optometry clinics in Sydney focus on providing eye care for a number of vision problems with particular focus on children and myopia, and on determining the best treatment for each case. Visit the Smart Vision website: Optometrists Sydney: Optometry Services For Children and Adults | Smart Vision to find more information provided by the Smart Vision behavioural optometrists and for information on the precautions applied during COVID-19.

Click here to book an appointment online or Call the Bondi clinic on (02) 9365 5047, or the Mosman clinic on (02) 9969 1600.  

Syndicated by Baxton Media, The Market Influencers, Your Digital Marketing Agency.

HEAR: Gary Rodney Interviewed By David Wood Ultra106five.com

Lockdowns Could Cause Spike in Myopia Endemic

Rodney, a fellow of the International Academy of Orthokeratology and Myopia Control, says there’s good reason to be concerned that lockdown regulations could push the curve of the Myopia epidemic still higher. It’s already one of the most prevalent eye problems affecting the children of the 21^st century, and contributes to the likelihood of eye diseases like glaucoma, macular degeneration, and possible blindness in the elderly.

“The lockdown stay-at-home lifestyle may succeed in slowing the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic. But it could spike the Myopia epidemic’s curve by increasing prevalence and speeding up its progression. It’s taking children’s focus away from certain activities and shifting it to others, some of which have long been identified as possible causes for increasing myopic progression,” Rodney said.  

The vision impairment is caused by refraction errors in the eye which cause light to focus in front of the retina rather than on it, resulting in blurred distance vision. It usually develops in early childhood, because of genetics or lifestyle factors and gets progressively worse until it levels sometime in the late 20s, and can cause major eye problems later in life.

And as there is no cure for the potential damage caused by elongating the eyeball and stretching the retina, treatment has been rapidly expanding to control progression. This has led to an increasing number of options to stop this from happening, Rodney said.

Large Screens vs The Great Outdoors

“By stopping children from going to school, and preventing them from leaving the house to see friends, or spending much time outdoors, lockdown regulations have caused children to spend more time inside. And they are spending a lot of it watching TV, studying online, or making long calls or sending lengthy messages on their mobile devices simply to keep in contact with friends,” Gattegno said.

While understandable in young people who felt trapped, Gattegno said these activities worked against some of the most important aspects of myopia management, which prioritize spending at least 2 hours a day outside, and restricting access to screens.

According to Rodney, another lockdown risk is that it could interrupt treatment that’s already underway and achieving positive results. Missing scheduled appointments or falling behind in the program due to the lockdown could undo, and even reverse, what has so far been achieved.

Actions Needed to Manage Myopia Epidemic

Rodney said both parents and optometrists can go a long way towards lessening any lockdown after-effects and helping prevent the possible spike in the myopia curve. Parents need to keep a close eye on their children’s activities, monitor screen time, and watch carefully for any signs of shortsightedness. These include sitting too close to the TV, closing one eye or holding books very close when reading, eye rubbing, and frequent headaches.

If concerned, parents should have their children’s eyes tested as soon as possible. This can be done during lockdown at optometry clinics like the Smart Vision clinics in Sydney, which have instituted Covid-19 safety measures, or left for soon after the lockdown is over.   

Broader Vision of Myopia Needed

Rodney says it is vital that optometrists broaden their approach to testing and treating children with Myopia both as a norm, and even more so in the post-lockdown period.

“Single vision spectacles which have to be changed and strengthened regularly, are simply not enough, even for the mildest of myopias . Single vision spectacles or contact lenses are shown now in research to be the WORST thing you can do to contribute to the eyes getting worse and the corresponding increased potential of age-related blindness.There are a wide range of new treatments available, including the special night-time oxygen-permeable corneal lenses used in Orthokeratology. This is having positive results in 100% of cases in slowing the progression of myopia in children in our practice,” Rodney said.

Smart Vision Optometry clinics in Sydney focus on providing eye care for a number of vision problems with particular focus on children and myopia, and on determining the best treatment for each case. Visit the Smart Vision website: Optometrists Sydney: Optometry Services For Children and Adults | Smart Vision to find more information provided by the Smart Vision behavioural optometrists and for information on the precautions applied during COVID-19.

Click here to book an appointment online or Call the Bondi clinic on (02) 9365 5047, or the Mosman clinic on (02) 9969 1600.  

Syndicated by Baxton Media, The Market Influencers, Your Digital Marketing Agency.

Rodney said some patients, caught in a world of lockdowns, economic difficulties and fears of contracting Covid19, have been missing their annual Ortho-K reassessment, when the lenses are routinely replaced. This could undo and even reverse any positive progress already achieved, and worse still, in cases of high myopia it could lead to serious vision impairment, and possible blindness, in the future.

Myopia – An Epidemic Within a Pandemic!

Rodney said nearsightedness (myopia) has been creating its own epidemic since long before the Covid-19 pandemic made its appearance. By the end of this year, it is estimated that one of every three people worldwide will be suffering from this vision impairment, and every second person by 2050. And there is no known cure for it.

That’s why, according to Rodney, the Ortho-K treatment which aims at slowing down the progression of the impairment, is so important. Specially as it has had positive results in more than 60% of cases. But for it to achieve these results, patients’ involvement in replacing lenses on schedule, and sticking to the lens care model developed by Smart Vision optometry clinics in Sydney are vital.

HEAR: Gary Rodney Interviewed By David Wood Ultra106five.com

How Ortho-K works

Ortho-K treatment uses oxygen-permeable corneal lenses. Slightly flatter than normal contacts, they assist in the management of nearsightedness (myopia) as well as some other eye problems like astigmatism and hyperopia (farsightedness).

The lenses gently reshape the cornea using the slight pressure created by a thin layer of tears which forms under them. Used only while sleeping, they can do away with the need to wear spectacles or contact lenses during daylight hours by temporary correction of the myopia. However, this correction is not permanent, according to Rodney, and it could also be reversed if the lenses aren’t worn regularly, kept hygienically clean, and replaced as and when required.

The Consequences of Leaving Replacement Too Long

If not replaced every 12 months, Rodney says the lenses could change their shape slightly, lose the polish on the edges, and develop fine scratches on the surface of the lens. This could cause them to rub against the cornea or irritate it, creating inflammation of the corneal surface. The surface scratches may hold pathogens which even the disinfectant solution used to keep the lenses clean, might not be able to stop. And should small breaks in the surface of the cells allowed the pathogens entry, these could threaten both the patient’s eye sight and, very rarely, their lives.

Rodney said it was also important that even in the midst of Covid-19 confusion, with its own set of safety rules, other lens maintenance and safety steps should be taken. 

One of the most important rules is that these lenses should not be worn if the patient’s eyes are red.

With regard to cleaning and inserting the lenses at night, the main rule is similar to that applied to the virus: Wash your hands! Hands should be washed very thoroughly using soap and water and dried with a clean paper towel before the lenses or eyelids are touched.

Tap water should not be used on the lenses or lens case, as it can carry pathogens, Rodney said. Instead fresh solutions of Hydrogen peroxide AO Sept or Menicare Plus should be used to disinfect them every day. To ensure hygienic case care, the lens case should be discarded and replaced every time the bottle of solution runs dry.

Aware of the current predicament people find themselves in with the COVED-19 risk, but also knowing the importance of lens care and replacement, Rodney said appropriate safety precautions had been introduced at the three Smart Vision optometry clinics in Sydney to protect both patient and optometrist during Ortho-K reassessments.

Smart Vision Optometry clinics in Sydney focus on providing eye care for a number of vision problems with particular focus on children and myopia, and on determining the best treatment for each case. Visit the Smart Vision website: Optometrists Sydney: Optometry Services For Children and Adults | Smart Vision to find more information provided by the Smart Vision behavioural optometrists and for information on the precautions applied during COVID-19.

Click here to book an appointment online or Call the Bondi clinic on (02) 9365 5047, or the Mosman clinic on (02) 9969 1600.  

Syndicated by Baxton Media, The Market Influencers, Your Digital Marketing Agency.