Do you have questions about myopia? Q&A with expert optician

[CeriMumsnet]

This Q&A is now closed. Thanks to everyone who shared a question on myopia for Charlotte, you can see the answers here.

Don't forget to sign up to attend Essilor's Class of Myopia event in Kensington on Friday 29 November to learn more!

We’re working with Essilor’s expert dispensing optician, Charlotte Timbury, to answer your questions about myopia (short-sightedness) in children. Whether you have questions about how myopia is detected, or you’d like some advice on how to manage your child’s myopia, Charlotte and Essilor are here to help.

• Post your questions on the thread below.
• Everyone who shares a question on the thread below by 12/11 will be entered into a prize draw to win a £200 voucher
• Charlotte will be online in a few weeks to answer some of your questions.
• To learn more about short-sightedness in children, sign up here to attend Essilor’s ‘Class of Myopia’ event for families on 29 November.

About the expert
Charlotte Timbury FBDO qualified as a dispensing optician in 2002. With over twenty years’ experience in optics, she began her career in a highly successful, independent practice before joining Essilor in 2014. Here she has held various roles from business development manager to professional relations; a role with a primary focus on developing and delivering education and training to the industry as well as other support to various optical bodies. Charlotte is now the North Europe medical and professional affairs director for EssilorLuxottica, the manufacturers of Essilor® Stellest® lenses.

Here’s what Essilor® Stellest® lenses has to say:

“By 2025, myopia is predicted to impact half(1) of the World’s population and a
staggering one billion people are predicted to have high myopia. Higher degrees of myopia pose a greater risk of ocular complications that may lead to visual impairment or even blindness later in life. However, the earlier myopia is detected and managed in a child, the greater the chance progression can be slowed down with simple lifestyle changes and wearing a myopia control spectacle lens such as Essilor® Stellest® lenses.

A new survey(2) commissioned by Essilor® Stellest® lenses amongst 1,000 UK parents has also revealed gaps in knowledge around myopia in children, with 94% of parents of myopic children wrongly believing that wearing glasses will solve the problem.”

Thanks and good luck!
MNHQ
Insight Terms and Conditions apply

References:

1. Source: Holden BA, Fricke TR, Wilson DA, et al. Global Prevalence of Myopia and High Myopia and Temporal Trends from 2000 through 2050. Ophthalmology. 2016;123(5):1036-1042.doi:10.1016/j.ophtha.2016.01.006
2. International survey conducted by Ipsos in 6 countries on 6007 parents with at least one child aged from 5 to 17, from a representative sample of individuals aged from 25 to 60 in terms of age, gender, occupation, region. UK: 1000 interviews / Italy: 1001 interviews / France: 1000 interviews / Brazil: 1001 interviews / India: 1005 interviews / China: 1000 interviews. Online interviews from June 24th to July 15th 2024

If wearing glasses helps myopia does wearing contact lenses?

My and my DH are both long sighted - chances are DS will inherit this too - I would like to have DS to have the freedom from glasses if at all possible - if regression has started - would this be too late to start with the programme ?

Do you think this will ever be reversed ? I am hopeful

Does changes in head growth and bones moulding together as children grow have an effect on eyes ? At what age would you expect eyes to stop changing - I knew from personal experience my prescription changed very regularly as a child. How can we prevent a deterioration in this condition if your child has it ?

It's hard to encourage my DS to wear his glasses, he is short sighted, and I'm not sure he is wearing them enough at school, he does not think they are cool, how would you encourage, is wearing them occasionally doing more harm than good - or would this be ok ?

What are the early signs to look out for?;

Is there any link between childhood prescriptions and adult? I suppose I'm asking when you might see the most change in sight.

How does being a DO give you the qualification and knowledge to answer these questions?

How confident would you be that this treatment will last into adulthood ? Do you think that there will eventually be a treatment that can replace laser for this condition ?

What would the signs be - and should a HV be picking this up when doing the milestone checks ?

Can myopia improve to the point that glasses are not needed any more?

I'm 44 and super short sighted at about -7.5 my eyes have deteriorated slowly but surely since I was about 16 and first needed glasses , I only started at about -1

I worry so much I'll be blind at some point if I live a normal life span 😢 Is this possible . I get scared every time I go for an eye test in case they're worse. ? Is there any way I can slow it or help my eye health ?

I have considered seeing if I'm eligible for lens replacement but it's over £10000😳 plus the thought terrifies me

Would every child predispositioned or genetically is a high risk be eligble - would some cases be more successful than others - if so why ?

What would be the best age to start this treatment ? I feel my DS will have shortsightedness as me and my DH have this condition - and does it still work as well with an astigmatism ?

How often would we need to come back for eye tests should we be accepted for this treatment ?

What is the average time that a child should wear glasses to make this treatment the most successful ?

Do I have to pay for this treatment or is it on the NHS ?

Only this week, my child has been advised to wear glasses for short-sightedness in one eye. There was no prescription last year and now it is -0.75 which seems like a huge jump in one year.
We are debating the Stellest lenses.

My question is, how long per day do the glasses need to be worn to have an effect?

Are the lenses strong? (If being worn by children, they are more likely to be broken & I'm concerned that I would buy the expensive lenses only for them to be broken during playtime/PE)

What is the success rate of this programme ?

Will this be as successful with an astigmatism ?

Are the special lenses for myopia really as good as they say they are? If I can afford it should I get them for my daughter?

Does having an alternating eye turning out increase the chances of vision problems later in childhood?

Once the treatment has been given, and is successful - would this be for life similar to lazer eye treatment ? or is there a chance they could deteriate again?

How do I get a referral for this ?

My child has never had an eye test, but how often should I be taking them for one? Both parents have myopia, is it inevitable they will too?