Over the last 30 years short-sightedness has increased significantly and now affects 42% of the population^2. As short-sightedness is inherited it is now it a key health issue facing families. However the results from a major new study into “Myopia Control”¹ have revealed that special contact lenses for children may halt the progression of their short-sightedness.

The SMART Study¹ into ‘Myopia Control’ involves over 250 children who are monitored over a five-year period. After two years, the control group wearing soft contact lenses experienced an average increase in their prescription of almost one dioptre (equal to 3-4 lines on an eye chart). The children wearing the new overnight contact lenses for children experienced no clinically significant increase in their myopia.

Whilst myopia rates in the western world were assumed to be 25%, research published last December ² reported a rise of 66% over the last 30 years. Short-sightedness is typically diagnosed around the age of 10 and progresses at around -0.5 dioptres per year until it stabilises in the early 20’s. The primary driver of short-sightedness is genetic, if one parent is affected there is a 40% chance of inheriting the condition but if it affects both parents it rises to 75%.

Overnight contact lenses are made using a unique computerised map of the eye surface and are specially designed to sleep in. They gently flatten the cornea altering the angle at which light enters the eye so it focuses correctly on the retina. By holding the eye in the correct shape as the eye develops the lens acts like a dental brace. When the lenses are removed in the morning, full vision correction is maintained for over 24 hours. The lenses can be worn at any age but for children the additional benefit of stabilising their prescription before it becomes too high is significant. In the long term those with high degrees of short-sightedness are more likely to develop retinal detachment, glaucoma and cataracts.

Mrs Huang and her husband are both high myopes and their children have inherited this condition. They wanted to find some way to help there children avoid the vision problems they have had to deal with. “I found out about overnight vision correction from my goddaughter in China who has been wearing overnight lenses for seven years. She is now 25 and her prescription has not changed in that time” says Mrs Huang.

Children Vision Problems: Find out if i-GO over night contact lenses can help your child.