Myopia is a disease that reduces the ability to see things from a distance. The ophthalmological problem affects 35 million people, according to the Ministry of Health, and can harm the physical and mental well-being of individuals.
Fortunately, with the advancement of technology, new solutions are also being devised to help people born with this condition. According to Dr. Fabíola Gavioli Marazato, an ophthalmologist at CBV-Hospital de Olhos, a new ophthalmic lens has arrived on the market for this purpose:
“Lenses with a specific design have recently arrived on the market that cause peripheral blur in the image, but maintain sharpness in the center of the lens.
Despite being new and requiring further long-term studies, they are promising and are easy for children to use, as they do not look different from regular eyeglass lenses.”
New lens technology can curb myopia
Although the condition is critical, some measures can control the increase in the degree and slow the growth of the eye, including special glasses lenses for this purpose.
The new lenses feature peripheral defocus technology (DIMS) or, in English, HALT (Highly Aspherical Lenslet Target) and are recommended for children aged 6 to 13.
These lenses should be worn for at least 12 to 15 hours a day. The effects can be noticed after 2 years of use and should result in a 60% reduction in the degree of myopia, says the ophthalmologist.
“Until these lenses were introduced, there was only the option of using eye drops to achieve this effect, but with the discomfort of blurred vision and photophobia in some cases. Contact lenses with similar technology are also being launched to tackle this myopia epidemic.”
The news is very important for the new generations and promises to improve both learning and children’s health.
Myopia harms children’s learning and health
According to Dr. Leôncio Queiroz Neto, ophthalmologist and president of the Penido Burnier Institute, correcting myopia is essential to improve children’s learning levels.
In his report, the ophthalmologist states that a survey was conducted with 36,000 children from Brazilian public schools. They received glasses with special lenses during a social action promoted by the hospital in partnership with the city of Campinas. Afterwards, they were monitored so that it was possible to map the impacts of this improvement on their daily lives.
After a year of using the glasses, 50% of the children showed improvement in their school performance and 36.2% were less agitated. Therefore, the result shows how important it is to monitor eye health during childhood. After all, children do not always have all the tools to understand and express what they are feeling.
Another study published by the journal Nature showed the same results. In this sense, Dr. Leôncio states that myopia can evolve into depression and insomnia in children, especially among highly myopic people (i.e., those people who have more difficulty seeing).
“This happens because our entire organism is governed by light, which sensitizes photosensitive cells in the retina and tells a portion of our brain when it is day or night.”
What is myopia?
In people with normal vision, light rays pass through the cornea – which is the first lens of the eye – and, when they reach the other lens – the retina – these rays come together at the same point to form the image.
In people with myopia, according to the Ministry of Health, this process occurs differently: as they have a “longer” eyeball, the image is formed before the light even reaches the retina, making it difficult for the person to see things from a distance.
Myopia levels vary, from difficulty seeing details in things that are far away to completely blurred vision, as if there were a fog in front of objects that prevented them from being seen.
Increase in cases of myopia may be related to the pandemic
Dr. Fabíola Gavioli Marazato, an ophthalmologist at CBV-Hospital de Olhos, warns and comments on the increase in the number of myopic people in recent decades. The doctor reveals that this increase has caused concern among ophthalmologists:
“Changes in habits, especially in children, at a stage when the eye is growing, favor the appearance and progression of myopia.”
The ophthalmologist also pointed out that, after the Covid-19 pandemic, the emergence of new cases and the worsening of existing cases has become increasingly evident.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has called the disease a “silent epidemic” and warned of current projections that show that around half of the world’s population will be nearsighted by 2050. The lack of outdoor activities has certainly contributed to this problem.
Therefore, the new lenses are certainly bringing new hope to the population and ophthalmologists.