Óptica Carreras Myopia control
“We don't know everything about MYOPIA, but we know far too much to do nothing.”
“Myopia is a global pandemic.”
Studies show that childhood myopia has increased by 66 % in a single generation, and it is estimated that by 2030 half the world's population will be short-sighted.
How can myopia be prevented?
The key is free time. Scientific evidence shows that children who spend two or more hours a day outdoors have a lower risk of developing myopia. And cutting down the hours spent on screens, up close.
What causes myopia?
It is the excessive growth of the eyeball, which causes blurred distance vision.
Up to what age does it progress?
We now know that myopia can keep progressing until age 30 or beyond — not only during childhood and adolescence.
Myopia control methods
Today there are effective treatments to slow its progression, such as:
- Ortho-K (overnight orthokeratology).
- Atropine.
- Peripheral-defocus soft contact lenses.
- Specific myopia control spectacles.
Why are there more and more short-sighted people?
Besides the genetic factor and the ethnic factor (prevalence is higher in East Asia), myopia has been correlated with education and with the use of digital devices at ever earlier ages.
The more hours a child spends looking at things up close, the more likely they are to become short-sighted.
Why is it so important to reduce myopia?
Because the higher the myopia, the greater the risk of serious eye complications. Trying to stay below -5.00 D is key to reducing the risk of conditions that can seriously compromise vision. The earlier myopia appears, the higher it will eventually climb.
Measuring the eye's axial length
At Óptica Carreras we have an optical biometer, the gold standard for myopia control.
Myopia is monitored not only in dioptres, but by assessing the growth of the eyeball. The optical biometer allows us to measure the eye's axial length with great precision — the factor most directly related to myopia progression and to the risk of future eye complications.
Thanks to this technology we can:
- Detect pre-myopia early.
- Carry out objective, personalised monitoring of every child or teenager.
- Assess the effectiveness of myopia control treatments.
- Make clinical decisions based on objective data.
Regular axial length measurement is especially important in children and teenagers — the key stages for intervening and reducing the risk of high myopia in adulthood.
