Myopia, or shortsightedness, usually kicks in around the age of 8 and progresses for the next 10 years.
Now a Kiwi scientist has developed a contact lens which slows the progression of myopia in kids.
Photo: 123RF
MiSight disposable contact lenses are already available in New Zealand and have just become the first-ever treatment of this kind to be FDA-approved.
Myopia is the result of abnormal growth of the eye which stretches and damages its tissues.
The idea of a contact lens that would slow down its progress came to optometrist and senior university lecturer John Phillips about 18 years ago.
Phillips, who is very short-sighted himself, studied myopic children who'd been fitted with a different prescription in each eye.
He found that in the eye that was 'underprescribed', myopia progressed more slowly – and got the idea of using a defocused image to slow its progression.
MiSight contact lenses contain one zone which provides clear vision and another which provides defocus, he says.
They don't reverse myopia, but worn early enough, can slow the rate of change – and reduce a child's risk of long-term eye problems, such as retinal detachment and glaucoma, down the track.
"The aim is to slow the rate at which the children's eyes grow so it reduces the risk of them developing these things later in life."
It's estimated that by 2050 nearly 50 percent of the world's population will be myopic.
In Phillips' opinion, this skyrocketing shortsightedness can't be blamed on excessive screen time as it was underway before screens overtook our lives.
Rates of myopia are very high in large, congested Asian cities and Phillips believes too little time outside is playing a significant role.
He recommends kids spend a couple of outside hours a day at least for the good of their eyesight.
