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 said compounding the problem was that as well as impacting directly on eye health, screens, by their nature, also reduced the vital eye health benefits of time spent outdoors, exposure to natural light, and the opportunity to view three dimensional objects at different focal distances. Digital viewing also has a tendency to cut back on physical activity and good quality sleep, both of which affect children’s eyes, as well as their general development.

Rodney further explains that eyes are not designed to look at a near viewing distance for extended periods of time. This inherently leads to near vision stress which results in further negative adaptations in the visual system.

WHO Responds With Limits for Screen Time

According to Gattegno, these factors have led the WHO to issue a list of recommended screen times for children under 5 years old when their eyes are developing at the fastest rate. These suggest that toddlers under one year old should not be exposed to electronic media; and to no more than an hour a day between the ages of 2 and 4. After turning 5,  the United Nations health unit, says screentime should still be limited, or sometimes eliminated, to make time available far more outdoor and physical activities.

While acknowledging the WHO guidelines, Rodney said in a world where vision problems are rising in prevalence at a fast rate, the guidelines should have been extended considerably. Current projections are led by nearsightedness (myopia) which has been suggested could affect half the global population by 2050, and this is closely backed by similar projections for all other vision impairments to reach 13million, up from 4 million in 2010. And that’s in the United States alone.

Learning How to Manage Digital Impact

Rodney said too much screen time can cause Digital Eyestrain (DES), leading to dry eyes, blurry vision, eyestrain, headaches, neck and shoulder pain, and it can also impact on both the amount and quality of sleep, which is needed to give the eyes a break to recover from the impacts of the day. But these are not the only threats.

The blue light from computer screens and digital devices decreases colour contrast, and its short wavelength produces high energy levels which over an extended period can seriously damage the retinal cells, and put excessive strain on the muscles that help the eye to focus.

Taking Control of Eye Health

According to Gattegno, regular check-ups with optometrists are essential in this digital age, and they should be the first call should eye problems go beyond discomfort levels. However, there are steps you can take to help protect both the eyes of the parents and their children’s when they are at home. These include:

Ergonomics: Careful thought should be given to where you place the screen or monitor, making sure there’s no glare from a light source, or coming through a window in front or behind the screen, and where possible a gentle lamp light should be used rather than fluorescent lighting which is known (but not necessarily seen) for its eye-irritating flicker. Also make sure there is good ventilation by using a humidifier if necessary, in order to increase moisture in the air.

Position the monitor about an arm’s length from the head and just below eye level so that they don’t have to look upwards, which leads to more of the eye area being exposed to the air, and so increases the likelihood of dry eyes. And remember to blink for the same reason. A larger monitor will also make words and images easier to see, as will enlarging the font.

Take breaks: Every five minutes, the user should look away from the computer and focus on something 20 feet away to release that strain on the eye’s focus muscles. Also, eye stretches can be done every 20 minutes. Every 30 minutes or so, (for children every 15 minutes) the user should get up and walk (preferably outdoors), and drink water to ensure they are well hydrated.

If none of the above makes a difference, an appointment with an optometrist who has a special interest in functional vision skills is advisable.

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, a fellow of the International Academy of Orthokeratology and Myopia Control (FIAOMC), says not enough consideration is being given to those children whose ability to learn is compromised because of refractive, perceptual and vision impairments which prevent them from seeing and processing relevant information. Instead technology is taking over the classroom and, in many cases, the use of screens and computers is increasing the progression of eye impairments like myopia.

Home Screentime Gets the Blame

“While the debate continues as to whether too much screen time at home could be causing or worsening eye problems, the school screen time or computer usage, which also calls for fixed focus and very little blinking over long periods, is seldom addressed.

Instead, it’s often seen as a feather in the cap of educational institutions keen to prove they’re keeping up with the times. And this is despite studies which report big leaps in the percentage of students with vision problems like myopia as their educational paths continue in a world where shortsightedness has reached epidemic proportions,” says Rodney.    

He said one out of four school-goers are myopic (nearsighted) and can see objects clearly only when they are close by. When faced with images or texts some distance away, everything becomes a confusing blur which leaves them understanding very little about the meaning or relevance of what they are seeing.

And they are not alone on this situation. According to Rodney, many children with other eye impairments face similar difficulties. And there’s a flip side to the problem – its not only screens that are further away that lead to difficulty with perceptual vision. A nearby screen like an individual computer on the desk, also holds an assortment of risks like fixed distance focus, the negative effects of the blue light emitted by the screen, and a tendency not to blink, which can lead to dry eye and eye strain in the same way as home computers, mobile phones and tablets.

Rodney said it’s possible that more hours are now spent viewing screens at school than at home, and certainly more time will be spent indoors doing so during class. And these are two of the major concerns with regard to increasing the rate of progression of this epidemic level eye impairment.

Kids Dealing With a Bundle of Confusion

For children with myopia starting school this adds to the normal concerns about whether children will like or shun them, and if their performance will be good enough to elicit praise from their parents and teacher.

When the knowledge they’re supposed to absorb is displayed a full classroom length away, they may well give up completely on concepts like learning, best behaviour, and “doing well at school”, and end up with limited attention spans, poor engagement and performance, affected social development and a low self-image, all of which will feed the vicious cycle they create. And at the same time the core factor of the eye impairment itself could be getting worse.  

“What are they supposed to feel when their teacher asks a question about something on a screen, and they can’t answer it because what they see doesn’t make sense? Or they battle to read out loud words which are a blur to them on a screen or whiteboard, and everyone around them starts laughing?” asks Gattegno.

HEAR: Gary Rodney Interviewed By David Wood Ultra106five.com

The Need for Eye Checks

Rodney and Gattegno urge parents and schools to ensure that children have regular eye checks in a bid to pick up any signs of impairment as soon as possible so those affected can be treated immediately.

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.

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.

Keeping Your Eye on the Ball is Not Enough

According to Rodney and Gattegno the key to top performance on the sports field lies in perceptual vision, and not just in the good eyesight determined by the Snellen charts of letters and numbers used in standard eye tests. Nor is perceptual vision purely about “keeping your eye on the ball”.

Instead it involves how athletes perceive, interpret and make sense of what they see, and how they process and respond to the “information” of the ball and its immediate surroundings. Any shortfalls in these areas of perceptual viewing can impact considerably on athletic performance levels if ignored.

“It’s not that people can’t take part in sport with perceptual vision problems. And they may even perform well. But there’s a good chance they will perform better, and be more committed to their involvement in the game, if those perceptual shortcomings are addressed,” Rodney, the founder of Smart Vision in Sydney, said.  

HEAR: Gary Rodney Interviewed By David Wood Ultra106five.com

How Sports Training Works

Rodney said players’ ability to keep their eye on the ball remains vital, but they also need to be able to judge where it is; track where it is going; and have a good idea of how fast it will get there, in order to time their response. And they also have to be aware of the environment in which the ball is travelling and any activities occurring which might affect their choice of how to respond. This involved a wide range of visual functions beyond dynamic vision.

He said perceptual vision can be improved using state of the art technology blended with the simple exercise that vision therapy provides. Programmes can be specially tailored to fit individual athletes and the sports they take part in, each of which have their own needs. These include hand-eye, eye-body and eye-foot coordination which power bodily movements as a response (tennis), excellent peripheral awareness of actions taking around them (team games) and other vision connected factors like reaction time, visual alignment, balance and depth perception. 

Support for Sports Vision Training Growing

According to Rodney, vision therapy, which tweaks any shortcomings in perceptual vision, is increasingly winning support from professional coaches and trainers operating at everything from Olympic level to those moulding the Olympic and national sports stars of tomorrow on today’s school and public fields. It’s also winning the attention of parents wanting to understand whether vision issues are behind why their children are avoiding sporting activities.

It’s also attracting the attention of researchers, who are increasingly looking at the concept of perceptual vision and its connection to performance on the field. This has resulted in the publication of several studies and papers on both the prevalence of perceptual shortcomings in players, the therapy and its level of success.

Research Results

These have lead to wide-ranging conclusions, including statistics showing that athletes taking the medals at Junior Olympic and Olympic levels sported the best overall vision. At the same time, as many as one out of three of those who didn’t make the podium had less than perfect eyesight, and one in four scored lower when screened for depth of vision and eye-hand coordination. And a relatively small section even battled with keeping their eye on the ball.

Other studies and tests have shown vision training to produce better results, particularly in team games and those involving bats and balls. One such study, where cricketers were grouped separately for cricket and vision training, showed those given the vision training showed greater performance improvement than the others. Another showed 30% improvement in baseball batting averages after vision training.

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.

HEAR: Gary Rodney Interviewed By David Wood Ultra106five.com

Responding to the results of the world’s second survey on myopia management conducted by a team from Optometry Australia, the University of Melbourne Department of Optometry and Vision Sciences, and the Centre for Eye Research Australia, based on the first, and so-far only one of its kind, conducted back in 2016, Rodney said:

“Children with myopia, and their parents, should be made aware of all options available. Myopia is one of the most common eye problems currently facing both children and adults, and can lead to major problems and possible blindness in the elderly. Doors should be kept open to all  methods of intervention to prevent this from happening,” Rodney said.

Every Second Person Could Have Myopia by 2050

The founder of Smart Vision said the “glasses only” response from such a large share of the Australian optometry sector, painted a worrying picture of myopia management in Australia. And this was particularly so in a world where the WHO foresees myopia affecting close on 5billion (or 52%) of the world’s population by 2050. This is double the number of people, or one in three of  the global population, that statistics suggest are likely to be suffering from nearsightedness by the end of this year.

Rodney said it was also questionable why, in this scenario, more than half of Australian optometrists would choose to ignore ways of managing nearsightedness other than single vision glasses, while at the same time acknowledging the effectiveness of alternative treatments in their responses.

No Known cure, But Many Treatment Options

“As there is no known cure for myopia, all treatments, whether they involve single-vision or multifocal spectacles, contact lenses, special eye drops, or even the possibility of laser surgery, are aimed at trying to slow down myopia and its progression as children get older. And the best window of opportunity to do so is when they are young.

“For this reason all optometrists should be prepared and willing to explore the advantages and disadvantages of every methodology available, to determine which most benefits the child being treated,” he 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 whose major focus is on the effects of perceptual and functional vision problems in children.  

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