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.

Rodney says it is quite normal that faces are not always the same shape on both sides,  usually people’s ears aren’t either, and chances are that a person’s eyes will also not be identical in shape or size. And they may have a certain amount of difference in their refractive powers. But this becomes a problem if the eyes function even slightly out of sync and move and focus differently. This can lead to problems with vision, physical health, learning, and perception, and it can possibly leave a person uncertain of their physical place in, and relationship to, the world.

When the Messages Get Confused

Among the most common of deficits in students’ vision skills, eye tracking (also called ocular motility or oculomotor function) concerns the two eyes’ ability to move up and down and from side to side simultaneously, and shift their eye alignment accurately from one object to another in a way that the two eyes can provide an understandable single visual image between them, says Rodney.

The effort required in the brain to make this happen can have huge impacts on concentration levels and abilities to process information at a higher level in the brain. Poor functional vision skills can impact in the same way making it difficult to carry on a conversation and ride a bicycle up a hill. How the eyes collaborate (or don’t) with one another in terms of these movements, can completely change the way a person sees, as well as how much they understand or perceive of what they are seeing.

Total teamwork is necessary because the data about what is being seen is received from light rays which enter each eye individually, and each send separate electrochemical messages to the brain for processing. These are seen by the brain as two different views of the same object and blended into one image. If the two eyes don’t project the same data about the colour, location and texture as well as other means of reference used by the brain, this could lead to confusion, distraction and inability to get a meaningful understanding of what is being seen.

Results of Tracking Dysfunction

When eyes aren’t able to operate as a team a long list of health issues and a great deal of discomfort may follow in the form of acknowledged symptoms like nausea, headaches, dizziness, light sensitivity, and blurry vision; as well as feelings of disorientation and being off balance when walking, which may lead to clumsiness or a tendency to bump into things.  Pain in the face and neck are also commonly experienced, and the eyes themselves may be sore due to the strain put on them during the struggle to balance their focus. 

Eye teaming and eye tracking problems can also lead to learning and reading issues, impacting on fluency, comprehension and speed when reading. This may result in misdiagnoses when it comes to learning difficulties such as dyslexia, which could toughen the chances of effective treatment for about one of every three who have been diagnosed with dyslexia.

If any of the following patterns are adopted they could be possible signs that a child has eye tracking problems, which, according to Rodney, can only really be identified through in-depth testing.

• Eye Teaming deficits may cause text or individual words to appear to “float” or “move” on the page because of the viewer’s inability to focus properly when eye movement is involved.
• Reaction to Reading: If children are overwhelmed by pages of text; avoid or resist reading; and prefer to be read to, rather than read themselves; they may have tracking difficulties. When they do read, they may find it easier to do so if the font is large, but have a slow and halting reading pattern when they read out loud.
• Physical Response to Reading: Those with tracking problems may squint or rub their eyes frequently, tilt their heads or move them from side to side, and/or use their finger as a guide to keep track of where they are in the text when reading.
• Outcome In Reading: They may guess at words they can’t identify, and lose their place when reading, writing, or copying (especially when their eyes are in the return sweep phase). Other tell-tale signs are if they leave out or transpose words or sentences when reading ( particularly if the words are small or similar), or they tend to re-read words or sentences.
• Writing: Signs there might be problems include poor handwriting, inaccuracy when it comes to word endings, low awareness of punctuation, and a tendency to reverse words or letters. Those with tracking issues may also they have difficulty when copying from the white board.
• Sports: Poor sports performance (particularly when playing games which involve moving objects, may also be a result of tracking difficulties.

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.