Revolution in Treating Myopia
Myopia is essentially caused by eye elongation. It is on the rise in Asian children and has reached almost epidemic levels in developed urban areas. Singapore, for example, has one of the highest incidence rates in the world - according to the Ministry of Health Singapore, about 30 percent of Primary 1 students and two in three Primary 6 students have myopia. By the time they are 18 years old, 80 percent of them are myopic.
Conventional methods for correcting myopia include progressive lens (most commonly used), orthokeratologhy (the use of hard contact lenses to flatten the shape of the cornea while sleeping) and pharmaceutical eye drops, and
Lasik refractive surgery has been used to try to slow its progress. However, besides progressive lens, the other methods have shown inconsistent results, require careful attention and hygiene, and may induce side effects. Lasik is also unsuitable for children as it is only conducted on adults after myopia has stabilised.
Fortunately, there is now a breakthrough, safe solution that is clinically proven to reduce myopia progression among young children. A new spectacle lens developed by Carl Zeiss Vision, called MyoVision, is the result of pioneering research conducted by the Vision Cooperative Research Centre, which is based at the University of New South Wales.
Text: BRIEN HOLDEN
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