High Myopia

[Sujender]

Hi,

My Son is 11 years old now and has had High Myopia since age 5. He is currently at -11 in one eye and  -9.5 in the other. We take him for a check up every 6 months and the doctors say that except for High Myopia, he does not have any other issues.

For the last few years, his optometrist was prescribing a lower powered glasses. His lenses are prescribed at about 1.5 diaptors less. As such he wears -9.5 and -8.0 glasses, instead of 11 and -9.5 for distance viewing. He was prescribed an even lower pair of glasses for home use.

The Optometrist mentioned that giving less powered glasses should control the pace or lesses the pace. ( we have been following this approach for a while now.)

For Second Opinioin, we visited to an Opthalomologist, he indicated that the above apporach is wrong and my son should be prescribed the right powered glasses.i.e 11 and -9.5.

Can you please advice which is the right approach and also advice on the benefits or risks of each of these approaches

Thanks

[John C Hagan III, MD, FACS, FAAO]

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[indi1664]

Hi sujender,
                 Sorry to hear about sons high myopia....I was -20 till recently...like your son I was high myopia from young age.
I totally agree with Dr Hagan...get the correct prescription glasses..the only time you would difer ...is perhaps in the very rare event such a young person had a reading prescription....but this I doubt would apply to your son...

contact lenses is best ...in my case I use to gain some 20% better vision and this was softt lenses....with Gas permeable the gain over glasses ..will be even more.

With contact whilst no probs for 25 years ....you must only wear for the recommended  daily weartime....read my reply posts to others.

just make sure you find a good patient and caring optician...who spends a little more time assessing the correct prescription.

Good Luck

[John C Hagan III, MD, FACS, FAAO]

The under powering of the glasses does nothing except handicap your child with very blurred vision at distance. In the past underpowering glasses and bifocal glasses (which is a much better way since the child has good distance and near vision) has NOT been shown to retard the progression of high myopia.

A much better solution (assuming your child is receptive and reasonably responsible) is to fit him with contact lens, perhaps gas permeable if possible:  1. he will see better because the image will not be as small  2. He will get rid of the very thick glasses for most of his waking hours  3. while not stopping the eye from becoming more myopic the rigid GPCTL can mask increasing myopia.

Any child that myopic needs to be under the care of an Eye MD physician ophthalmologist to check the retina and macula for disease a non-MD non-physician with half the training of a Eye MD cannot, in my opinion, do that.

JCH MD