Anyone got a kid with 'high' myopia/ short sightedness?

[MakkaPakkas]

Just wondering if anyone has experience of this. DD(11) has just moved to a prescription of -6.5 & -5.75. This is despite having done two types of myopia control contacts and having had myopia control glasses for the past year. I'm quite worried for her. She is a way off puberty yet so is likely to get quite a bit worse. Just wondering if anyone can share similar experiences?

I wear -5.75 but am obviously an adult. I can't help with regards to children but it was suggested my son uses the lenses or glasses and you've helped me make my decision. Thank you.

You're best asking the optician, op. It might be that the prescription is expected to stay the same for years now. I have always had bad eyesight but my prescription hasn't really changed from being a child. My optician said it's not the strength that is important so much as if it can be corrected. Some conditions can never be made to correct enough for driving, for example, and some can be corrected to 20:20 vision.

That was me. The deterioration was quick and brutal in childhood but slowed down dramatically by mid-teens. It was stable enough for me to have laser surgery by age 22.

The Cochrane review does show some weak evidence that these can be effective but they weren't for us and the contact lenses in particular were hated by my daughter.

Yes. Two of mine have high myopia that started as children. One appears to have stabilised early in their teens as has had same prescription (-6.5 in both eyes) for past 3yrs. Normally stabilisation happens in your early to mid-20s. My other is 20 and not yet stabilised (-8 in both eyes) but I still have hopes. If not, she will go the route I am on which is never quite stabilising but gradual sight loss bit by bit. I am at -20.5 right now.

Ds1's was heading that way but stabilised by his early teens without any intervention.

I started wearing glasses at 9, I was -6.75 by 16.

I’m now in my early 40’s and it’s been stable at -9.5 for over a decade, until my last test which came up -10 in one eye. I don’t think the test was done properly though, and I’m still happily wearing my -9.5 glasses with no vision issues.

Hopefully it will slow down for your DC.

Hi, my 3yo is -12 in both eyes, although that's been stable for a year (since she was first assessed by the ophthalmologist). I really fear for her vision but she gets on ok at the moment so I keep those feelings pushed right down 🥺

Sorry to hijack the thread but for those further down the line, did you see deterioration rapidly in the early years? I was surprised her prescription hadn't changed at all after a year.

I think I was probably similar at that age. Slowly stabilised until early 20s and since then I've been -10.5 in glasses, less in contacts. I didn't get on with contacts til I was 16 but have worn them every day since!

@CorpusCallosum
Both mine didn’t need glasses until age 7-8, so can’t really comment. I think your 3yo has a different type of high myopia. Hopefully they are being monitored by a hospital eye clinic?

Oh yeah, she's reviewed every 4-6months at the moment. She does really well with her glasses and loves her newest ones, she keeps taking them off to look at them 🤦‍♀️

My DD(6) wears the contact lenses. She's already at -4 which is quite high for her age and was deteriorating rapidly. Hopefully at her next check it they will at least have slowed the progression down! I think the only real help besides contacts is atropine drops but you need to find a clinical trial to access it.

Annoyingly atropine is still not licensed in the U.K. for myopia control. So if she doesn’t get on with the contact lenses, the most important thing you can do is limit close work over the summer and get her outside as much as possible.

I also wouldn’t rule out trying ortho-k again in the future too. Children change.

@Mufflette how do you find being -10.5? Can you see ok in glasses? Does it affect you negatively? I'm only -3.25 and generally think it's no problem although if I can't find my glasses I'm really quite stuck until they turn up. Have you ever considered laser eye surgery?

@CorpusCallosum my DD didn't need glasses til she was 7 or so & over the past 4-5 years has progressed to -6, so over 1 diopta a year. I'm really hoping she'll slow down but my understanding is that the main progression happens during puberty, which she's not hit yet.

@Discovereads -20.5 sounds like you could barely see at all. How do you cope?

I'm totally used to it! Hate wearing glasses because of the disparity between what I can see if I look ahead compared to if I look outside the lenses, but my DP is actually only slightly less bad than me (-8.5 I think) and wears them a lot without issue.

I considered laser ages ago but didn't bother as they could only do it to a level where I'd still need glasses/lenses so didn't see the point. I wouldn't bother now, I feel my eyesight has zero negative effect on my life and I like the fact that the world is fuzzy when I wake up until I decide I want to be properly awake and make it clear again!

My sister is -11 I think ... I'm -9. My Dad was -14 before he had cataract surgery. I can't remember her or my prescription aged 11 but I am sure it was the same ballpark as your dd.

We can all see fine with glasses. The worst thing is if they fall off the bedside table - NOBODY MOVE! - I don't think contacts go past 10ish but tbh my astigmatism is more of an issue for contacts than my prescription.

I find people with lower prescriptions make more of a big deal about 'oh no I couldn't wear my glasses to do xyz' - you can! I wear them for swimming, exercise, decorating etc. I have (countless) old pairs if I think there is a genuine risk they might get damaged.

My sister and I have this, we are both adults now. We are similar prescription but she wears lenses and I wear glasses as I have other things with my vision that they don't really correct.

I'm -12 and have been stable for a long time, I wear glasses and don't think anything of it to be honest.

I wouldn't have laser surgery.

I'm -12 now. With contacts or glasses I'm fine, without them I can't see well at all. My prescription went downhill in my early teens to -13.5 and now in my 40s seems to be improving.

Ds is using the myopia control lenses and seems to have levelled out around -4.5 so fingers crossed they're working for him. He's been there for about 3 years now.

Being really short sighted is a nuisance, I won't pretend it's not. But you can buy prescription sunglasses, goggles, all sorts. And like a pp said, make sure you've got a few spare old pairs lying around.

There's also a higher risk of eye problems with large prescriptions so make sure she doesn't miss her appointments.

All in all, it's a bit shit, I'd rather not be this short sighted, but it's fine. I often wonder if I lived in a country without great eyecare. I'd struggle just going down a flight of stairs without glasses.

What causes the myopia? In my family its astigmatism and we are tall which tends to make it worse. Once they stopped growing the prescription stopped changing.

One of mine is -11/-12 and the key thing I'd say is start saving up for very expensive lenses and frames and a spare pair is essential. When mine went through this phase the NHS provided a voucher once you passed -10 - it was a whole £40 against frames and lenses which cost £1000.

Costs may be cheaper now but if you want good quality lenses which are lighter weight they will be top end prices. Ditto if you want frames that are robust without being hideous (to a teen) as they are essential for basic safety at this level of short sight.

It is possible to get daily disposable lenses for this level of short sight in which case one pair is probably enough.

@C8H10N4O2 my understanding is she just has a long eyeball. I don't think she has astigmatism on top of this (I do but only slightly)

I was like that. It stabilised in my 20s at -10 in both eyes. I have laser surgery which took it to -0.5 in both. Its been 17 year since the surgery and still nearly perfect vision.

I am about -6, stabilised as a teenager. Came in to recommend asda opticians if you have one nearby. All prices include thinning for all prescriptions. Massively cheaper than other high street options. Range of frames narrower, but I've always found some that suit.

I am around -8. Not considered lasers as it can go wrong, but most people I know who have done it were very happy. I don't really notice any difference in change past a certain point, as I need my glasses for everything anyway.