Myopia Prevention

In today’s digital age, more children than ever are experiencing myopia, an eye condition where distance vision becomes blurry due to the elongation of the eyeball. Nearly 50% of children in Western countries are affected, and 80% of children in East and Southeast Asia. While genetics play a role, modern lifestyle factors like excessive screen time and limited outdoor exposure are contributing to its dramatic rise.

At Anina Potgieter, we’re committed to helping children maintain healthy eyes and clear vision through our Myopia Prevention Programme. Our approach combines personalised lifestyle recommendations, cutting-edge lenses, and treatments to slow down or even stop the progression of myopia.

Myopia occurs when the eyeball gradually elongates too much from front to back, causing light entering the eye to focus in front of the retina, instead of on it and resulting in blurry distance vision.

There are many factors that contribute to myopia, but recent research points to two major culprits:

1. Excessive screen time: Hours spent looking at screens reduce blinking and strains the eyes, which can lead to myopia progression. As more and more children worldwide gain access to schooling, the amount of time spent looking near is increasing.
2. Lack of outdoor time: Natural sunlight and distance vision play an essential role in eye health. Children who don’t spend enough time outside are more likely to develop myopia.

While genetics can influence whether a child is prone to myopia, these lifestyle factors exacerbate the problem.

Our Myopia Prevention Programme is designed to address these challenges with a multifaceted approach:

• Lifestyle changes: Simple habits like getting more daylight exposure (at least two hours a day) and taking regular breaks can help reduce the risk of myopia worsening.
• Specialised lenses: We offer advanced spectacle and contact lenses designed to correct vision while preventing the eye from becoming more elongated (and therefore more myopic). These lenses use dual optical strengths that work together to slow myopia progression.
• Education: We provide guidance on how to manage your child’s screen time, encourage outdoor activities, and create healthy habits that promote eye health.

Traditional glasses or contact lenses only correct vision. However, specialised lenses are designed to do more. These lenses contain two strengths, one to correct vision and another to help prevent the eyeball from elongating further. This is achieved through innovative designs that either incorporate a pixel format in spectacle lenses or concentric rings in contact lenses. These lenses help maintain the stability of your child’s eye shape and slow the worsening of myopia