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 ?

@KLM2023 , now I am confused which paediatric opthalmologist to visit in my city.
How do I know the doctor is trustable.
also do atropine eye drops really stop myopia in its tracks.

@sarahhopingI would imagine anyone with a qualification and experience in paediatric ophthalmology would be ok to see. It is possible both of the prescriptions you were given were correct. The eyeball grows quite rapidly in the first years of life so you can expect to see the most significant prescription changes then.

With regards to atropine drops, we are using them on our toddler at present with the hope that they will slow down her myopia progression. There are many theories on how they work but the main school of thought is that they slow down the growth of the eyeball.

@KLM2023 , are you saying his eyes could go from -2.5 (L) / -0.5 (R) to -3.5 (L) / -1 (R) in just a matter of couple of months. One qualified eye doctor said it won't happen like that , but I don't know what to say :(
I wonder what his prescription will be by the time he turns 18 ? are we looking at numbers going upto -5, -6 , or worse ?

@sarahhoping I don’t know is the answer. I am not an ophthalmologist, most of my knowledge has been obtained from speaking to specialists and reading up on my daughter’s condition. I think the important thing is to speak with an ophthalmologist and find out what they predict the rate of progression to be (with his current age and prescription), if they think there is an underlying issue and what they advise to help slow progression.

OP I understand you’re worried but you do need to unclench a little.
Loads of us on this forum are short sighted, some severely and some less so. Some wear glasses, some wear contacts and some will have had corrective surgery as adults.
It’s not a big deal, it really isn’t.

Have you seen how many people wear glasses????

I'm -2.25 and -2.50 - I wear glasses

As I understand it the thing that protects against shortsightedness in children isn't sunlight per se, it's time outdoors focussing at "infinity".

If you're inside, and in particular in small rooms, you're always focussing at much much shorter distances. It's hardly surprising that if during your formative years you spend a lot of time focussing at 20 centimetres (whether that's a book, a tablet or Lego) and very rarely get to focus at 200 metres then that will affect eye development.

That’s probably why I ended up at -5 as an adult! Always had my nose in a book as a child.
Now I’m over 50 it’s been reduced to allow me to read without reading glasses. Not a big deal 🤷‍♀️

This is a huge overreaction to a very common condition.

For the UK if affects about 1 in 3. In the USA its about 40%. In Singapore its a staggering 80%.

By 2050 there'll more people in the world that are short sighted than those with 'normal' vision. As education rates go up, so does myopia. A small price to pay for better education IMO.

I've worn glasse from about 7 and am about a -9. I can't wear contacts (unrelated reasons) so glasses can be annoying but they are just like wearing shoes.

Just to add that in clinic when a measurement is done with drops to dilate the pupils and relax the lens there are usually 2 measurements, one is the full measurement and then a calculation is made to take off something called the 'working distance' this can vary depending on how far the practitioner holds their equipment. Sometimes they compare their measurement to the autorefractor measurement and it sounds like they went an extra step to measure axiel length, they may have considered all these factors to come up with the final prescription.

I really think if you could get a review with the original ophthalmologist to discuss the results it might put your mind at rest and they would be able to explain the figures.

Lenses go up in steps of 0.25 so 1 eye is only 2 steps difference and the other 4 steps so not a huge change in the left eye.

OP is a bit of an offensive twat tbh. It’s a pair of glasses. I have kids who’s numbers are a +10 and +6. It’s really not the end of the world. Making out it’s some sort of major disability 🤦‍♀️. I’d hate to see her reaction with a real problem.

I'm -11 in both eyes. It's fine. Calm down and get them some nice glasses.

"Terrified"

Your child short-sighted and has a prescription, as did I and as did millions of other children around the world.

He will wear glasses and life will go on.

Get a grip, OP. I hope you are not letting him see your anguish over a pair of glasses.

Huge numbers of people have myopia including from childhood and we are not all contracting rate eye diseases. Of the many hundreds of myopic people I know including myself and 2 siblings none have rare eye diseases, I think you are more likely to get hit by a car. The first doctor must have had a bad day if she told you one prescription and wrote down another but luckily the one she wrote down is the same as the second prescription. But it’s ok if it’s a bit off, prescriptions are regularly a bit off as eyes change regularly. Just take your child back to get checked every 6 months. Buy glasses. Get them to wear glasses. Change them to contact lenses if they want to when older. And parent your child like normal, nothing has really changed in their risk outlook. Millions of people wear glasses or contacts every day with zero impact on their quality of life. I would barely go to the bathroom without putting my glasses on.

Ask for a referral to an ophthalmologist (medically trained eye doctor). They can advise if there are any underlying concerns. Both my kids are shortsighted (although older than yours and to a milder degree) and we are using prescription Atropine eye drops for myopia therapy (basically it slows down the progression of the shortsightedness ). This is a proven approach with over 20 years of long term studies. There are other, newer methods as well but we were advised to go with the Atropine approach ( nightly eyedrops) . The kids have eye checkups every 6 months as part of this therapy. No issues and we are two years in.

Sorry I see @KLM2023 already gave great advice ! I totally agree

Hi considering atropine for my child but concerned that my child will be using it for probably 10 years. Were you able to find any safety data for long term use? Many thanks

From Mayo Clinic:
"Nearsightedness (myopia) is a common vision condition in which near objects appear clear, but objects farther away look blurry. It occurs when the shape of the eye — or the shape of certain parts of the eye — causes light rays to bend (refract) inaccurately."

It really is not a big deal, op. Your son will need glasses so he can see the blackboard if he sits at the rear of the class, and not stop red lorries at the bus stop. Things I did because my mother refused to believe I needed specs before I was 12.

My eyesight is a lot better now, I rarely wear glasses any more.

OP your son needs glasses, it’s not life threatening.

They aren’t high prescriptions at the moment and as a PP poster said there are special lenses recommended for children to help reduce the chance of the prescription getting much higher.

There is both a genetic element to some short sightedness and physical factors. Getting your child out to place they can see distance - ie in an open outdoor space can help. Reduce screens as close work can play a factor as your muscles get used to working differently. I did a lot of reading and writing as a child and I am more short sighted than other family (-6). Children are recommended to get as much outdoor light as possible as being indoors can be a factor to myopia as the first doctor
said.

Myopia can be linked to other eye issues but they are usually in later life and your child will be taught how to manage those risks as an adult.