Displaying items by tag: myopia
Lenstar Myopia
State-of-the-art Myopia Management and Patient Education
The Optometry Center of Geneva, Optique Duvillard, recently equipped itself with the top of the Swiss technology "Haag-Streit" with Biometrics.
For early detection of myopia onset and state-of-the-art myopia management with graphical visualisations for easy education and consultation of patients and parents.
The three pillars of myopia controle in practice
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Myopia has become such an epidemic that the World Health Organization describes it as a key risk factor for ocular pathologies that can lead to blindness. As eyecare professionals and public health authorities respond to the crisis, this article offers a strategic approach with effective mechanisms for myopia control. This approach is based on three pillars of intervention: managing the environments of young people with myopia, managing their ametropia and peripheral defocus, and treating anomalies in binocular vision.
Article from the magazine "Point de vue"
Light exposure and childhood myopia
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There is evidence in many countries globally that the prevalence of myopia is on the rise.
Advances in measurement technology now allow many environmental factors potentially associated with the development and progression of myopia to be quantified reliably and sampled densely. Our recent prospective longitudinal study of Australian schoolchildren, utilising wearable sensor technology has provided the first direct evidence of a significant relationship between personal ambient light exposure and eye growth in childhood;
demonstrating that greater daily light exposure is associated with slower eye growth. These findings support the potential for interventions aimed at increasing daily outdoor light exposure, to reduce the development and progression of myopia in childhood.
Article from the magazine "Point de vue"
Myopia : A public health crisis in waiting
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The prevalence of myopia and high myopia is on the rise across the world.
Recent work from the Brien Holden Vision Institute estimates that by 2050, five billion (50%) people will be myopic, one billion (10%) highly myopic. This may have important implications for planning comprehensive eye care services, including refractive services such as spectacles and contact lenses for correcting and slowing myopia progression.
Optical and environmental interventions can help in preventing and managing high myopia related ocular complications and reduce the burden of myopia..
Article from the magazine "Point de vue"
A look at myopia research in China
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Wenzhou Medical University (WMU) is one of the leading educational and research medical universities in China. Beyond its academic excellence and high-end medical services, WMU is a leader in advanced research in ophthalmology and optometry. Against the backdrop of an unprecedented rise in myopia in East Asia, several research programs at WMU have been vigorously dedicated to furthering understanding of the condition and developing new treatments for it.
This interview with Professor Lu Fan, the president of Wenzhou Medical University, explores in depth the scope of the latest scientific and clinical efforts to slow down the myopia pandemic.
Article from the magazine "Point de vue"
A look at progress in orthokeratology
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Corneal reshaping through orthokeratology as a means to control myopia progression has made tremendous progress over the past decade. Below, Dr. Cary M Herzberg, president of the International Academy of Orthokeratology and Myopia Control (IAOMC), discusses the developments that have been made in the field and how the IAOMC hopes to continue to push the scientific envelope in the years to come.
Dr. Gonzalo Carracedo of the University Complutense in Madrid then details how orthokeratology has come to be recognized worldwide as a safe and effective procedure in the long term.
The orthokeratology (Ortho-K) effect was first observed as a side effect of contact lenses made of Poly methyl methacrylate (PMMA), which flattened in their radius of curvature over time. “What started as a method to reduce temporarily the refractive error of nearsighted individuals evolved, with the help of innovative design choices, to advanced engineering of the corneal surface of the eye,” explains Dr. Cary M. Herzberg, OD FIAO, president of the International Academy of Orthokeratology and Myopia Control (IAOMC).
With the optics and resulting aberrations of an oblate corneal surface including spherical aberration, advanced design choices could provide solutions for progressive myopia and presbyopia. Ortho-K also attracted maverick practitioners, who brought a spirit of imaginative innovation to the world. “It has been my honor to have led several of these organizations and to have helped found the international academy, which now spans the globe,” continued Dr. Herzberg. “Our mission is in part to help find solutions to the myopia epidemic which threatens the eye health of present and future generations”.
Article from the magazine "Point de vue"
Myopia rise and vision health issues left in its wake
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Myopia continues to be a growing problem around the world. A recent study predicts that by 2050 about half of the world’s population will be myopic.
While genetics plays a role, researchers point to the increasingly digital lifestyles of young people as one culprit of the epidemic.
The sheer volume of this vision impairment will have consequences not only for those with it, but also for the communities and nations where they live, work or go to school.
As our world grows and develops, our vision is getting worse. That’s the takeaway from an important body of research data about the world’s vision, with a laser focus on myopia and its impact.
The statistics are alarming – myopia is projected to affect almost half of the world’s population by 2050. The consequences are just as unsettling, as myopia, when left uncorrected, can lead to severe vision impairment and even blindness. By mid-century, nearly five billion will have the vision impairment with about one billion suffering from high myopia. In the United States and Canada, the number of myopic is estimated to climb to 260 million, or close to half of the population, up from 89 million in 2000; and high myopia cases jump an astounding five times to 66 million by that year.
These are part of the findings of a meta-analysis by the Brien Holden Vision Institute of 145 studies covering 2.1 million people. Also known as nearsightedness, myopia is a refractive error that causes items close by to be seen distinctly while distance vision is blurry. High myopia is a severe form in which the eyeball becomes too long and can lead to retinopathies or even retinal detachment.
Article from the magazine "Point de vue"
Myopia, tackling a pandemic
Cliquez ici pour lire l'articleSurprisingly enough for a non-infectious condition, myopia is reaching pandemic proportions across the world.
Record-breaking figures.
In the US and Europe, the prevalence of myopia has doubled over the last century, reaching 40-50% of young people (aged < 35) today. East Asia has been hit particularly badly. In countries such as Singapore, China and Korea, myopia affects around 80-90% of urban teenagers, compared to 10-20% sixty years ago. Recent work from the Brien Holden Vision Institute (BHVI) estimates that by 2050, five billion people, or half the world’s population, will be myopic and one billion, or 10%, highly myopic. A record-high myopia of -108 diopters has recently been compensated in Slovakia, Europe, representing new challenges for eye care practitioners and the ophthalmic industry. While the direct global socio-economic impact of myopia has not yet been determined, the economic burden of uncorrected refractive error (URE), which is largely caused by myopia, is estimated to be more than US$269 billion (per annum) – and this number is growing as the pandemic spreads.
The good news.
Over the past few months there has been a notable increase in alarming publications in scientific journals and the media on the myopia crisis. However, leading research centers and medical universities have been vigorously focused for some time on furthering understanding of the condition and developing new treatments for it. Etiology investigations have uncovered that myopia onset and its progression in children are correlations of both hereditary (nature) and environmental factors (nurture). The latter can be modified by encouraging greater exposure to natural light through outdoor activities and adopting good reading posture. We take the opportunity in this issue to share some perspectives from 25 experts – scientists and eye care practitioners – taking a look at their approach to understanding, correcting and treating myopia, plus preventing its progression in children.
Hope in sight.
Biochemical research for the myopia pathogenic mechanism will continue to be a hot topic. Luckily, the progress made over the past decade gives us reason for hope. At present, the overwhelming majority of myopia cases can be corrected with regular prescription eyeglasses, contact lenses or refractive surgery. There are also the solutions that correct and control myopia progression in children. Specific multifocal contact lenses, Myopilux® ophthalmic lenses and orthokeratology (Ortho-K) are all recognized as safe and effective procedures in the long term. While pharmacological interventions such as atropine eye drops at low concentration do not correct myopia, they effectively control its progression. There is no doubt tailor-made solutions help patients live their life to the fullest.
TO READ
Myopia rise and vision health issues left in its wake.
Article from the magazine "Point de vue"