While speaking to a fellow mum about our shared concerns on childhood myopia, she said that we shouldn’t let it inhibit our children’s abilities, and assured me that there are ways to help them control it from progressing.
Childhood myopia is one of my top worries as a mum. Having been diagnosed with myopia at eight, I understood the struggles of living with nearsightedness as a child firsthand.
My poor eyesight affected my competitive swimming training. While there are prescription goggles, you can rarely get one that matches your exact lens prescription; and custom-made ones are really pricey.
However, giving up a sport that I love most wasn’t the main struggle. It was the fear that my myopia might worsen. I grew up dreading every visit to the optometrist, even coming to fear that I might develop other sight-threatening complications or even lose my sense of sight altogether.
Just like every parent who wants the best for their children, I don’t want my son to go through the same struggles at a young age. It’s hard not to worry, what with childhood myopia being so common, especially in Singapore.
Meet Clara, a fellow mum who shares the same concerns about childhood myopia
I found Clara through a short video published by ACUVUE Abiliti, where she and her son Gabriel shared about his journey of controlling myopia with myopia control soft contact lenses. Here’s a mum who has a son who went through struggles similar to mine when I was a child. She also mentioned that it was when Gabriel’s eyesight worsened significantly that worried her most.
It was a relief to know that I wasn’t alone in my worries about childhood myopia affecting my child. I decided to reach out, and managed to have a heart-to-heart talk with Clara about our shared concerns regarding childhood myopia. Here’s what I learned from both her and Gabriel.
1. Excessive screen time is just one of the many risk factors of childhood myopia
It came as a shock to Clara and her husband when Gabriel was diagnosed with myopia at seven years old. He spends a lot of his time outdoors playing football, and Clara ensures that he and his sisters don’t get too much screen time at home.
The situation became all the more alarming when his myopia progressed from 75 to 225 degrees in just a year. After a consultation at the Singapore National Eye Centre (SNEC), Clara learned there are other risk factors, including long durations of near work and genetics.
The latter worries me especially. Though my husband has perfect vision, my myopia is on the higher end. This means that there’s still a chance that my son might develop nearsightedness. Clara assured me that I’m not alone in this; and in the event that it happens, it’s not the end of the world.
2. Don’t be so quick to dismiss your child’s eyesight symptoms
Clara believes that bringing Gabriel for an eye check as soon as she could was one of the best decisions that she made. When she noticed that her son couldn’t see as well as his sisters, she quickly arranged to get his eyes checked. That was also how she found out that his myopia had progressed significantly. This allowed Gabriel to get the treatment he needed to prevent his eyesight from worsening.
She elaborated, “After all, there’s no harm in validating their concerns and getting their eyesight checked. If the optometrist or ophthalmologist says that your child’s eyesight is alright – great. If they say that your child has myopia, or that it’s worsening, then at least you know that you’ve detected it early and can take immediate action.”
Other symptoms of myopia include squinting, abnormal head posture, and frequent rubbing of eyes. Ken Tong, an optometrist, also recommends parents to bring their children for a comprehensive eye examination once every six months. This is especially important during a child’s growing years, as vision screening done in schools is not sufficient.
3. Myopia control is super important
It’s a good thing that people are becoming more aware about childhood myopia these days. However, we should also recognise that childhood myopia is not a phase in life to go through, and we should be discussing the importance of myopia control upon the onset of myopia. During their consultation at SNEC, the doctor mentioned that rapid myopia progression and high myopia (500 degrees and above) may lead to more serious eye problems. Clara mentioned that this was a wake-up call for Gabriel and his sisters, who now take their eye health very seriously.
4. There are many myopia control treatments available – you just need to pick one that suits your needs
Clara was initially interested in getting orthokeratology lens (Ortho-K lens) for her son, as she had heard positive reviews from a friend. Taking both her husband’s experience (who once wore hard contact lenses) and Gabriel’s needs into consideration, they decided to get him the Abiliti 1-Day soft therapeutic daily disposable lenses instead.
“What works for one may not work for others. Gabriel and I wanted to share his story because we hope to raise awareness of the multiple options to manage myopia. Prescriptive eye drops and Ortho-K lens are some of the treatment options that were presented to him. The former still requires him to wear spectacles, which can be inconvenient when he plays football. On the other hand, we also felt that Gabriel may not be ready for the meticulous lens care that is required to maintain Ortho-K lens. Hence we chose to go ahead with daily disposable lenses which has proven results in controlling myopia,” she explained.
5. Never underestimate good clinical and parental support
Gabriel received support at home and from the staff at SNEC, which Clara believed boosted his self-confidence in using disposable lenses. The staff guided him patiently, encouraged, and ensured he’s able to put on the lens by himself before leaving the centre.
At home, Clara’s husband was there to walk him through the process again. They set up a dedicated area for Gabriel to put on his lenses. Both Clara and her husband encouraged him with positive affirmations, as well as celebrating his little ‘wins’ (for example, being able to put on his lenses correctly at the first try). They also arranged for Gabriel to start on disposable lenses during the school holidays so that he has ample time and space to practise putting them on. “Now, Gabriel is putting his lenses on like a pro!” she gushed.
6. Practise what you preach when it comes to keeping your eyes healthy
Children learn by imitation, and parents are their best role models. “It’s not enough for us to tell our children to reduce screen time or read with proper lighting, we need to make sure we practise these good habits too,” Clara said. As parents, we should set good examples for our children to follow.
Don’t let myopia stop our children from learning and growing to the best of their abilities
The biggest takeaway I had from my chat with Clara was that we shouldn’t let myopia get in the way of letting our children achieve their full potential. Prevention is best; but in the event that your child has myopia, know that you’re not alone, and know there are many effective methods to control it. “My job as a parent is to help Gabriel keep his myopia under control so it doesn’t get in the way of him pursuing what he loves best,” she said.
Interested to learn more about Clara and Gabriel’s story? You can watch it here. You can also find out more about ACUVUE Abiliti’s myopia management products, or book an eye check for your child with your nearest eye care professional.
This post is in partnership with ACUVUE Abiliti.
