Short-sightedness is primarily an inherited condition and the chance of becoming shortsighted is around 40% if one parent has the condition but this rises to a staggering 75% if both parents are short-sighted. However recent research indicates that a new vision therapy for children could help halt the progression of myopia in children.

Short-sightedness is becoming a major health problem for families in the western world as it has increased over the last 30 years. New research by Susan Vitale PhD, MHS, an Epidemiologist at the National Eye Institute found that the prevalence of myopia has risen by 66% to an alarming level of 42% of the population.

This dramatic increase is believed to be driven by the major increase in close work – children are now spending on average 7hrs a day using mobile phones and computers and spending less time outdoors in the natural light.

So what can you do to protect children from this vision problem? Well until now, nothing, but a new vision therapy for children could offer the answer. The results of a major new study involving special corrective contact lenses, which are only worn while asleep, has just been published.

The results show that children wearing these overnight contact lenses saw no Increase in their myopia after two years. However it was found that the children wearing soft daytime contact lenses had an increase in their prescription of almost one diopter (3-4 lines on a vision chart).

The “SMART” study has another 3 years to run but the results so far of this new vision therapy for children are extremely promising.

But there are other benefits for children who use corrective contact lenses. Getting rid of glasses and wearing contact lenses at night improves children’s confidence and they are also more able to participate in sports and play ground activities.

There is also the practical benefit - the wearing regime is carried out at home and therefore totally under parental control. So no more worrying about lost, broken or unworn glasses.

Alex Osbourne one of two 12 year old twins who has been wearing the corrective contact lenses overnight for over six months says “It has changed the way I see things, I used to peer and squint at things. I would not want to go back – I hated my glasses.”

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