Even for confident kids, school can be daunting. The constant stream of new and challenging material can be intimidating for the most outgoing, intelligent kids. Add in difficulty seeing from a condition like myopia – and you have the potential for a tough school year. Myopia, also known as nearsightedness is where distant objects appear blurry.
Myopia plagues millions of school-aged children in America; in fact, 1 in 4 parents report that their child has been diagnosed with it.1 Nearsightedness usually begins in childhood from age six and onwards.² When left uncorrected, myopia can affect a child’s confidence, and their ability to learn and develop.2
Obstacles to Learning
Everyone wants their children’s school years to be enriching, fun, and memorable. After all, this is a foundation-building period, when kids’ habits, personalities, and ambitions are formed. Parents want to do everything possible to help their children succeed.
So what gets in the way? For one, vision issues. Inability to see well can lead to real adversity and be a huge source of frustration for kids trying to learn.
Not being able to see clearly can sap the confidence of even the smartest kids.² Not only will it affect their ability to learn – imagine trying to take notes or solve problems when the board looks fuzzy – but also impacts their performance on the soccer field or basketball court, and their potential in social situations. Without a doubt, the inability to see well impacts children’s self-esteem and their quality of life.3 While the stigma around glasses has gone down in popular culture over the years, studies have shown that glasses can impact a child’s self-perception and self-esteem.3, 4 Not to mention glasses can always break on the playground and a contact lens can fall out on the football field.
Is Your Child Myopic?
Nearsightedness is growing to epidemic proportions. Cases have spiked dramatically in recent decades: since 1971, myopia has increased by 66% in the U.S.5 What’s more, researchers estimate that by 2020, one-third of the world’s population—some 2.5 billion people—will have myopia.² Studies suggest that the causes are both genetic and environmental, with increased urbanization and close-range activities, like reading and screen time, playing a central role.² Regardless of the causes, nearsightedness can present a real obstacle to success.
Free to Succeed
Fortunately, there is an innovative treatment for nearsightedness that helps your child to be free to have fun, excel at school, and overall improve their quality of life.
Paragon CRT® Contact Lenses offer a revolutionary way to treat myopia. Paragon CRT® contact lenses are worn overnight and gently correct the curvature of the cornea during sleep – the wearer wakes up with improved vision and no need to wear glasses or daytime contact lenses! There are no age restrictions when prescribing Paragon CRT®.6 Give your child the gift of freedom that comes with clear vision—and a school experience full of joy, friendship, and success!
To find out if these overnight contact lenses are a good fit for your child, visit a Paragon CRT® certified eye doctor. Use our doctor locator tool to search practitioners in your area.
[1] Myopia: 2018 American Eye-Q Research. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.aoa.org/patients-and-public/eye-and-vision-problems/glossary-of-eye-and-vision-conditions/myopia/myopia-research
[2] Holden, B. A., Fricke T. R., Wilson D. A., Jong M., Naidoo K. S., Sankaridurg P., Wong T. Y., Naduvilath T. J. and Resnikoff S. Global Prevalence of Myopia and High Myopia and Temporal Trends from 2000 through 2050. Ophthalmology 2016; 123: 1036-1042.
[3] Dias, L., Manny,R.E., Hyman, L., &Fern, K. (2002). The Relationship between Self-Esteem of Myopic Children and Ocular and Demographic Characteristics. Optometry and Vision Science, 79(11)
[4] Francine C. Jellesma (2013) Do glasses change children’s perceptions? Effects of eyeglasses on peer- and self-perception, European Journal of Developmental Psychology, 10:4, 449-460, DOI: 10.1080/17405629.2012.700199
[5] Vitale S, Sperduto RD, Ferris FL 3rd. Increased Prevalence of Myopia in the U.S. between 1971-1972 and 1999-2004. Arch Ophthalmol. 2009 Dec;127(12):1632-9. PubMed
[6] FDA Approval Letter