Sleep and Myopia

Risks for Myopia

There are many risk factors for myopia, but did you now that sleep is a risk factor for developing myopia and for accelerated progression? Myopia is the progressive lengthening of the back of the eye that causes nearsightedness and increases the risk for glaucoma, cataracts, retinal breaks and bleeding in the eye. The progression of myopia can be reduced with timely and proper treatment.

For more information, please contact Dr. Edward Fong and the eye doctors in Sugar Land at Bright Eye Care & Vision Development.

Myopia Management

Danger of Myopia

For every 1 diopter (pronounced DIE-OP-TER) increase in myopia, the risk of bleeding in the back of the eye increases 67%. Myopia is the excessive lengthening of the back of the eye that leads to nearsightedness and increases the risk of visual impairment. Estimates indicate that half of the world’s population will be myopic by 2050, and that 1 billion will have high myopia.

Myopia Control

Studies indicate that up to 65% of people with high myopia will suffer from visual impairment due to bleeding in the back of the eye. Managing myopia at an early age can help reduce this risk. Reducing the progression of myopia by 1 diopter reduces the risk of this type of bleeding by 40%.

For more information, contact Dr. Edward Fong and the team at Bright Eye Care & Vision Development in Sugar Land, Texas.

Myopia management growth curves – Sugar Land, TX

Parents often ask, “Will my child’s prescription continue to get worse?” and “How much worse will it get?”. We can now better answer that question as it relates to myopia. Most of us are familiar with growth curve charts of weight and height used at the pediatrician’s office. Those same types of charts are now being developed for myopia. By comparing a child’s myopia to the growth chart, we can evaluate his risk for high myopia. High myopia significantly increases the risk for eye diseases that can lead to vision loss.

For more information, contact Dr. Edward Fong and the eye doctors at Bright Eye Care & Vision Development in Sugar Land, Texas.

Results from a clinical study involving approximately 2500 adults:

• Of all of the adults with high myopia (defined as prescription of 6 or greater), 60% of them had their first pair of glasses before the age of 10.

• High myopia dramatically increases the risk for other eye diseases like bleeding in the back of the eye, retinal detachments, cataracts and glaucoma that can lead to a loss of sight.

• The age at which a child receives his/her first pair of glasses is a strong indicator of how myopic that he/she may become as an adult, and can help determine the need and intensity of myopia control.

For more information, contact Dr. Edward Fong and the doctors at Bright Eye Care & Vision Development.

Screens, myopia and nearsightedness – Dr. Edward Fong, Sugar Land Eye Doctor

Do SCREENS cause MYOPIA?

A recent clinical study looking at almost 50,000 children between the ages of 3 and 19 years old concluded that current data suggests that screen time is NOT ASSOCIATED with myopia.

Myopia is due to the excessive elongation of the eye resulting in nearsightedness and increased risk for bleeding in the back of the eye, holes and tears in the back of the eyes, cataracts and glaucoma.

For more information, contact Dr. Edward Fong and the doctors at Bright Eye Care & Vision Development.

One Reason to Control Myopia Progression Sugar Land Dr. Edward Fong

A person with a -2.00 myopia prescription can more easily navigate around a dark room or an unfamiliar hotel room without correction than someone with a -6.00 prescription. A larger amount of myopia creates a greater disability and dependence on glasses or contacts. Research shows that the greater the amount of myopia, the worse the vision-related quality of life.

For more information, contact Dr. Edward Fong and the doctors at Bright Eye Care & Vision Development.

Myopia Control and It’s Benefits – Dr. Edward Fong, Sugar Land Eye Doctor

MYOPIA is due to the excessive elongation of the back of the eye which leads to:

• Nearsightedness

• Increased risk for the following sight-threatening diseases:

– Myopic Macular Degeneration

– Cataracts

– Retinal Holes/Tears

– Glaucoma

What are the BENEFITS of SLOWING the PROGRESSION of MYOPIA?

• Less visual disability when uncorrected

• Better visual outcomes from LASIK

• Reduced risk of blindness from myopia

We will address each benefit in more detail over the course of the next few days.

Importance of Managing Myopia Dr. Edward Fong, Sugar Land Pediatric Eye Doctor

𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝘆𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗮 𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁:

• A 6-year old who is already myopic with a prescription of -0.50 is estimated to progress to a prescription of approximately -6.75 by the time he/she is 17. Myopia often increases until the age of 20-22 years old.

• By actively slowing the progression of this 6-year old’s myopia, it is estimated that his/her prescription would progress to approximately -3.75 instead.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗮 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 -𝟲.𝟳𝟱 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁-𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀:

• Risk of bleeding in the back middle of the eye increases by more than 40 times

• Risk of a tear in the back of the eye increases by more than 21 times

• Risk of cataracts increases by more than 5 times

• Risk of glaucoma increases by 2.5 times

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗮 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 -𝟯.𝟳𝟱 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁-𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀:

• Risk of bleeding in the back middle of the eye increases by more than 9 times

• Risk of a tear in the back of the eye increases by 9 times

• Risk of cataracts increases by 3 times

• Risk of glaucoma increases by 2.5 times

𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗲-𝗵𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗽𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁:

• Slowing the progression of myopia can make a significant impact on sight-threatening risks later in life.

For more information, contact Dr. Edward Fong and the doctors at Bright Eye Care & Vision Development in Sugar Land, Texas.

Myopia Control – Nearsightedness, Cataracts and More by Dr. Edward Fong, Sugar Land Eye Doctor

Myopia is due to the excessive lengthening of the back of the eye which leads to nearsightedness and significantly increases the risk for diseases that can lead to blindness.  Recent research indicates that by 2050:

• 50% of the world will be myopic
• 1 billion people will be afflicted with high myopia

Successfully controlling the progression of myopia involves monitoring both the child’s prescription and his/her eyeball length (also known as axial length).  By the time a child is 5 years of age, his/her axial length will already be that of an average adult.  As the child continues to age, if the axial length continues to increase, so does his/her risk of myopia and its subsequent risk factors of:

• bleeding in the back of the eye
• holes and tears in the back of the eye
• cataracts
• glaucoma
• nearsightedness

At your child’s next eye exam, ask to be tested for both his/her prescription and axial length.

For more information, contact Dr. Edward Fong and the doctors at Bright Eye Care & Vision Development in Sugar Land, Texas.

Myopia, Nearsightedness – Are We Talking About the Same Thing?

What is myopia?  Is it the same thing as nearsightedness? Those two terms are often used interchangeably, but are they truly the same?

Nearsightedness is typically defined as an inability to see objects that are at a distance clearly.  Myopia also makes seeing objects at a distance difficult.  However, can you have myopia without nearsightedness?

The answer to the above question is “yes”.  Think about what happens after laser vision correction, or LASIK.  The patient will no longer need glasses or contacts to see distant objects clearly.  Therefore, that patient will no longer be nearsighted.  However, he will still by myopic.

Myopia is the excessive lengthening of the eyeball, and has multiple consequences.  One of the better known results is the need for glasses or contacts in order to see clearly.  Yet, there are other repercussions as well.  Increasing myopia increases a person’s risk for vision threatening conditions such as retinal tears, myopic maculopathy, cataracts and glaucoma.

LASIK can fix nearsightedness.  LASIK, though, cannot fix myopia – once myopic, always myopic.  This is why it’s important to slow down the progression of myopia in children.

For more information, contact Dr. Edward Fong and the doctors at Bright Eye Care & Vision Development in Sugar Land, Texas.

References available upon request.

Medical Disclaimer. The information on this site is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. All content, including text, graphics, images and information, contained on or available through this website is for general information purposes only.