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?

Well everything has its place by my bed so I know by feel where my glasses are. I used to be able to read without my glasses by holding things up to my nose, but can’t do that for several years now. I pay £££ for custom contact lenses (-12 is the max the brands regularly manufacture) and you can bet I wear them to swim/shower as it’s only way to see. It’s been gradual loss so I’ve had more than enough time to adapt as I went.

I have always been quite short sighted .I think a lot more can be done now with contact lens wearing at a younger age , trendy glasses and thinner lenses etc . I think my eyes settled for quite a while in my 20s - 30s and at 60 I am now -14 . I agree wholeheartedly with a pp about regular checks and always wear sunglasses. Good luck with your little one . it is really good that she already loves her new glasses!

My son is -5.5 in one eye and about a 3 in the other and he’s 9. He’s worn glasses since he was 4 and it’s steadily getting worse. He goes to the optician every 6 months but we’ve never been offered anything other than glasses. Don’t think he would tolerate contacts anyway.

I was the same and am -8 now. My other son is 7 and has perfect vision at the moment

My DS, 17 yrs, is a -21 in one eye and a -20.50 in the other eye. He has worn glasses since he was just under 1 Yr old. His vision is still deteriorating but he has usable vision at the moment with his glasses. It is important for your DD to attend her eye appointments regularly and mention any changes she notices.

I started wearing glasses about age 9, can't remember my prescription then but I'm now 49 and -10.5
I wear contact lenses all the time, I have glasses but only for if I wake in the night and need to get up. First thing I do each day is lenses in.
My vision is corrected with my lenses.
Without my lenses in I can't see anything at all. Literally a total blur. I couldn't function normally.
Glasses are a bit of a pain because of the high prescription- they have to be thinned which costs ££££ and even then they are thick. They also make your eyes look so small when people look at you.
Positives - very short sight means no probs reading - don't need reading glasses.
And because it's a complex prescription I get free sight tests and a voucher for a small
Amount off my glasses.

The relevance of the height is that kids who grow tall can experience eyeball elongation during growth (which is also why it their sight stabilises late teens). Or at least that was how the specialist explained it to us as a tall family - I suspect there was more to it. The retinas also need to be monitored as there is a slight increase of issues due to their being stretched in the growing process.

DC1 can't tolerate contacts, even the soft daily disposables and was also advised against laser type surgery but is happy enough with glasses. One option under consideration is replacement implanted lenses but probably not for a few years.

Just popped back in here and caught up with the comments. I didn't know puberty was the time things progressed most rapidly, that's good to know. DD is very tall for her age, flat faced and hyper mobile, I suspect Stickler syndrome but we're still being investigated by paediatrics to know for sure. Myopia with Stickler is severe but stable so I wondered if her not progressing in a year had contributed to my suspicion.

I hope she'll go for laser when she's old enough, I'd love her to know what good sight is like, but it'll be her decision. My husband would benefit from it too but never realised till we've had chats with opticians about DD that it would be an option for him. He's still wearing his glasses in solidarity with DD (🥰) so I wonder if they'll go together to get it done in 20 years.

Thank you for sharing this about enjoying fuzzy morning vision 🥰 this makes me feel all warm inside for my daughter who told me today, quite matter of factly, 'I can't see very well mummy' 🥹😭

I don't remember what my prescription was when I was your DD's age. I wear -8.5 contacts. I get free eye sight test because of 'complext' prescription. I'm too short sighted for eyesight correction surgery.

Life goes on and there are glasses and contact lenses. There are inconvenience in having a strong prescription but it's better, IMHO, than food allergies or diabetes or asthmas.

Everyday life problems include I can't find my glasses if I take off my contacts and don't know where my glasses are. I can't go to swimming without daily disposable contacts. (Prescription goggles do not work well). I was recommend to not do anything like buggee jumps.

About laser surgery, I believe you can't do it if you are over -5. But check what is the limits now!

For laser surgery I was definitely over -5!

I went to Moorfields.

This was what my husband was told and as he's -6 he thought it wouldn't be for him. But that was a long time ago, our optician said they go up to -15 & beyond now!! And it's improving and developing all the time so in 20 years when she'll be old enough who knows what they'll be able to do.

Obviously, it doesn't remove the risk of eye health problems like retinal detachment and no amount of laser can bring your vision back so that's my big worry for her as she grows with such a high prescription.

I was like this and it stabilised in my late 20s at -13. I always wore contact lenses, mostly daily disposable ones but had glasses at night and early morning and needed to use glasses on planes because eyes dried out.
In my mid 50s I got cataracts in both eyes and had lens implant. It was like a miracle I woke from sedation and I could see.
To all the PPs who say they can’t have laser because too short sighted that is correct. But lens implant is the way to go. Still need to be careful about retina detachment because the shape of the cornea has not changed so still a risk.
I have bad memories of school swimming lessons where I would get shouted at because I couldn’t see and following teachers instructions was difficult

@lazymum99 That is wonderful to hear. I'm -14 and have specs. prescription sunglasses, daily contacts. monthly contacts, reading glasses for when I'm wearing my contact lenses, cataracts starting and I and carry spare glasses everywhere. It would be a miracle to wake up and see well. Implant lenses would be a wonderful thought for the future when my cataracts need to be done. Thank you!

Hello, thank goodness for mumsnet. It is reassuring to hear some of these stories. General question though, how as parents do you stop worrying about the progression. My child has moderate myopia and was stable for 18 months (-3) and then a jump of 1 during a growth spurt (age 5). Following all of the guidance, miyosmart lenses, lots and lots of outdoor time when not at school, no screens, good nutrition and vitamins and regular appointments with ophthalmologist. Hard not to worry constantly.

Also, may I ask of anyone with infant age children have you put in place anything at school to maximise time outside? Health care plan? Pre reception we were out all day every day in big parks looking far away. Now it’s out of my control as my child is in school so I wondered if anyone had put anything specific in place (over and above regular break times and not much close up work).

Finally, has anyone in the UK moved onto atropine via the private healthcare system? Or any positive experience of mi sight contact lenses or Ortho k for under 6’s?

Apologes, there is a lot above.. thank you.

My daughter OP - shes in her 20s now and the prescriptions still get stronger.
Shes fine with it and wears contacts mostly
When she levels out and the prescriptions stay the same I will offer laser treatment if she wants it.

I was -5.5 for most of my adult life but for some reason age has reduced it to -3.5 (contact lenses)

Hi there I know this is over a year over a year old but I wondered what approach you took and whether is has stabilised your child’s myopia? I am looking at myopia control for my child and keen to hear of success stories. Thank you