My 3.5 yr old is diagnosed with Myopia and I am terrified and confused just thinking about it.

[sarahhoping]

My baby boy was born in Feb of 2020 , just one before lockdown . A kids eye doctor told us he's got myopia of -2.5 in left eye and -0.5 in right eye when we went to her for eye allergies .
She said its likely due to kid not getting enough sunlight during covid lockdown and that without enough light to eyes, the eyeball elongates and hence the myopia.
Since he was dealing off and on with recurring eye allergies, we couldn't get a glasses for him . Because we wanted to be sure his number is -2.5 in left eye, because it seems like too much . This was 2 months ago
We consulted with another doctor today today and after reading from snellen chart, she said his number is -3.5 in left eye and -1 in right eye.
Now I am confused which doctor is correct. Also how it moved from -2.5 to -3 now in right eye, and -0.5 to -1 in left eye. has his number increased or is it simply error and difference of opinion among these 2 doctors. Can the prescription glasses really increase so much in just a couple of months.

Can someone please help me out. I am worried and confused
I am worried for my child's vision . Anyone else faced anything similar ?

He's short sighted, it's fine. Your optometrist sounds weird, unless you kept him in a cave, I doubt the light thing is correct. Get the glasses sorted out and take it from there, he'll have regular appointments and they will build up a better picture of his vision over time. There really is no need to be 'terrified'.

His prescription will vary over the years - sometimes very quickly - my sons did , stabilised at about 13/14

You are over reacting to something that is incredibly common. Prescriptions change as they grow DDs got worse as she first hit puberty (as is common) and after a big growth spurt she had to have her prescription adjusted again. The optometrist just said it was very normal at times of growth and sometimes as the body settles down the prescription can get less / improve.

Are you in the us?

Hi Parents , OP here.
No I don't stay in US. Also , the Dr said myopia number is likely to get better, but tends to get worse.
I am terrified because a number of -2.5 (as told 2 months back) or -3.5 (as told today) is horrifying for a 3.5 yr old. I am 33 and still barely have -0.5 .
So how the heck can a toddler have such a high number is mind boggling !

also to those saying prescriptions fluctuate, I assumed it means it only gets worse. So if his number now is -2.5 , what will it be with time ? like what ? -5 or -6 by the time it settles !??

My son was +4.5 and had to wear a patch aged 2. He’s nearly 14 now and wears glasses but is absolutely fine. It’s nothing to worry about.

Op it really is not horrifying, you need to stop overthinking this. DD was +6 in one eye, +5 in the other at 11 months, now settled at +7.5 and +6. Other than very expensive lenses and needing prescription goggles for swimming, she's fine.

Have you looked into the miosmart lenses?

Being long or short sighted is no big deal at all. I've been -9/-10 since early childhood and it is no bother. I just wore glasses and now contacts. Certainly nothing to be terrified about.

We all wear glasses in this family. All shortsighted from an early age. It's fine, honestly. Your kid just needs glasses!

It can be scary and worrying when your kids are diagnosed with short sightedness. My then 6yo was told last year and, being a glasses-wearer myself, I really didn't want him to have to need glasses. However, my eyes have settled at -7.5 and -6.00 and I only need glasses or contact lenses. I'm so used to them I don't even think about it, it's just part of me! I'm sure your DC will be fine, they won't think about it as they get older either.

I think one of my eyes is about -13 (the other is hardly better). I just wear glasses. (Could have contacts if it bothered me but it doesn’t.) The only thing that would be an issue is bungee jumping and sky diving. Both should be avoided with a high prescription like mine. But as I have no intention of doing either… 😆

As someone with vision -8.5 and -7.25 it really isn't a big deal. Been wearing glasses since I was a tiny bit old than your son; they seemed to get "bad" quite quickly and then stabilised for years. I don't know any difference, as can't remember ever waking up and being able to "see" iyswim. But trust me, being short sighted has not ruined my life, and glasses now are so much better than they were when we were kids.

Hi Its OP here again, to all those moms saying we just need glasses,
but what about the elongated ("abnormal") eye shape increasing risk factors for serious (retinal) eye diseases for which no easy cure exists, like glaucoma , macular degeneration etc ?

I mean myopia is not just short sightedness, right ? the more severe the myopia, the greater the risk of retinal diseases, isn't it ? since the eyeball is elongated (abnormal) and it puts abnormal forces on retina wall

I’ve never heard that lack of light makes people short sighted….

@sarahhoping yes I get it will feel like huge numbers to you.
My prescription is -9.5 and -8 and I also have astigmatism p.
It’s fine. Glasses are correcting my vision 100% (even better with contacts - fir later for your ds)

Re tte readings.
it might be that it changed quickly, esp if he had a growth spur. But I suspect it’s just variation in readings. I found that my prescription could be quite different depending on who I saw In particular when using the all automatic machines.

He's shortsighted, not dying. It's a mild annoyance.

I’m -5 in both eyes. I was -4 for most of my childhood and I’m 47 now so hasn’t really worsened that much. I wear glasses but have worn contacts before. -5 really isn’t that terrible? It’s at the higher end of ‘mild myopia’.

Many people in my family are short sighted, some very badly. Just like me.

None if them have had tte issues you describe, no more than people who are not short sighted.

I'm -7 and -8! My husband is +5 and +6 so we are eagerly waiting to see what will happen with DDs.

being shortsighted is fairly normal though. But you can help him by giving him fish oils, omega 3, vitamin a, vitamin d, calcium, magnesium and protein in sufficient amounts. I ate like a sparrow and hated childhood vitamins and I’m minus 8 in both eyes, by brother had a great diet and all of the above including eye-q supplements for headaches and has minus 1.5 in each eye. Get him good glasses and keep him hydrated and healthy.

Myopia is another term for being short sighted

Thanks for all the support.
But seriously though could his numbers have moved from -2.5 , -0.5 to -3.5 , -1
in just 2 months.
This sounds crazy !

I wore glasses from age 3/4 yo, and at 50, have stabilised at 9 for a few years. I have astigmatism too. Never been remotely a problem so pl try not to worry. It’s a totally insignificant part of my life.

As I said, I suspect first reading errors.

That’s why I stick to an independent optometrist I trust.

I suspect it's more that it's hard to get as accurate a reading on young kids tbh than his vision actually changed that much.