Myopia progression

Is there ‘physiologic’ eye growth in myopia progression?

It’s known that emmetropizing children undergo axial eye growth of around 0.1mm per year. Is this amount of growth in myopes also ‘physiologic’? In this study, data from six myopia control clinical trials was analyzed to find the axial growth component which did not result in a change in refraction. For myopes, this ‘physiologic’ growth appears to be less than 0.1mm per year, which has implications for judging progression and treatment success.

Outdoor time works to delay myopia onset – proof from Taiwan

A country-wide intervention to increase outdoor time in 5-6 year olds resulted in the prevalence of myopia decreasing from 15% in the 2014 cohort (before the intervention) to 8% in 2016 cohort (exposed to the intervention for up to two years) and was stable for three years thereafter. Increasing outdoor time works! 

Which children are at risk of developing high myopia in their teenage years?

A combination of higher baseline myopia, parental myopia and faster 3-year progression in earlier childhood were strongly predictive of teenage high myopia in this study. Young patients with these combination of factors should receive closer clinical monitoring and timely interventions to slow myopia progression.

Tools myopia management

Getting started in myopia management: what equipment do I need?

What equipment do you need to get started with myopia management in practice? Here we take you through the recommendations of the International Myopia Institute Clinical Management Guidelines Report, with advice on testing and equipment required. There are also suggestions for how you can get started if you don’t have access to all the equipment described, plus what is ideal and what is necessary for best practice.

Measuring the whole eye in myopia

Axial length (AXL) has been well established as the critical measurement in myopia control research. The measurement accuracy and link to disease risk make AXL increasingly important in a clinical setting. But what else should we measure in the myopic eye? Does the cornea change as well? Will we end up doing away with refraction? Read more on measuring the whole eye in myopia.

Communicating with parents who reject myopia correction

How do you approach communicating with parents about myopia when they reject even standard single vision correction for their child? This is especially concerning given that even a full strength single vision correction is a better choice than under- or un-correction of myopia – for both myopia progression as well as the child’s functional abilities. This clinical problem is more common than you might think, especially in some regions of the world.

Do pseudophakic children need myopia control?

How does the normal emmetropization process in childhood influence refraction shifts in pseudophakes? Should a myopic shift in a pseudophakic child be viewed as myopia progression? How should they be managed and is myopia control needed? This blog covers important considerations in managing these atypical myopes.

Gauging success in myopia management

How can you tell if your myopia management strategy has been a success? Our new Myopia Profile ‘Managing Myopia Guidelines’ infographics translate research into practice, providing advice on gauging success by both refraction and axial length outcomes. Given that refraction is universally measured in clinical myopia practice, there is particular emphasis on understanding how much refraction change after a year of treatment indicates whether expected efficacy for that intervention has been attained.

A tale of two studies measuring change to axial length in myopia

Being able to assess myopia progression in a similar way to height and weight using growth curves is beneficial for both practitioners and patients as it provides a comparison against a calculated average, helping to predict future high myopes and track progression and control outcomes. How to growth charts from European and Asian studies compare? We explore the comparisons, advantages and disadvantages of using growth charts for axial length in myopia.