Blurred numbers on the screen, fuzzy videos, and holding books or tablets close to read; these are all symptoms of nearsightedness. Many times, nearsightedness also known as myopia is discovered by a teacher. This is because nearsighted children can be identified by squinting or having trouble seeing the screen or front of the classroom.1 While this year your child may not be in a classroom or find that the classroom environment is far from traditional – nearsightedness can still impact their ability to learn. get in the way of their education.
Nearsightedness is the most common vision issue among children and young adults worldwide.2 By 2050 it is estimated that 50% of the world’s population will be nearsighted.3 Nearsightedness is commonly treated with glasses or daytime contacts – but nothing compares to unrestricted, natural vision. When your child is playing outside, freedom from physical restraints is important, and this includes visual restraints. Broken glasses and lost contacts are a concern for parents and their children. In this piece we explore the consequences of nearsightedness and why it is so important to your child’s education and quality of life to properly treat the condition.
SCHOOL PERFORMANCE
Nearsightedness can impair a child’s ability to learn.3 A study conducted by Stanford University found that, “over a period of nine months, the simple act of wearing glasses raises a nearsighted child’s test scores by an average of 14 points. That means without the glasses, the child is essentially losing an equivalent amount.”4 Experts believe 80% of what a child learns in school is information that is presented visually.5 When a child struggles in school many parents’ or teachers’ first thought is that the child has vision issues.
While parents may wait for evidence of squinting, holding objects close, or falling grades to get their child’s eyes checked, a child can start developing vision issues at a young age. A child can develop nearsightedness as young as age 6.6 Less than 15% of preschool children get an eye exam and less than 22% receive vision screenings.7 If we move into the later years, 20% of school-age children have vision problems.8
All parents should stay on top of their child’s vision health. If a parent of a child is nearsighted themselves – they should especially set up a yearly in-office eye exam for the child. Genetics play a role in the risk of nearsightedness.2 Every year a child’s prescription can increase throughout childhood. Make sure your child’s nearsightedness is treated so they don’t have to struggle with poor vision as an adult!
SELF-ESTEEM
According to one study, “myopia is a global health problem that has social, educational, and economic consequences, and significantly affects the quality of life of sufferers.”9 When a child is struggling in school, an easy solution is to give them glasses. While the stigma of “four eyes” has mostly vanished from modern culture, studies still suggest that nearsighted children have lower self-esteem than their peers who wear contacts or have 20/20 vision. These studies judged self-esteem based on children’s self-rating of physical appearance, athletic skill, and social interactions, as well as their grades and academic achievements.10 What is the status of your child’s self-esteem? How are they feeling about himself or herself?
Paragon CRT® Contact Lenses are an overnight option for nearsightedness. A child puts the lenses in at night while they sleep and remove them in the morning for improved vision that lasts all day. These lenses are FDA approved for overnight wear and to treat up to a -6.00D prescription of myopia.11 97% of patients report that Paragon CRT® Lenses meet or exceed their expectations!12 By wearing overnight vision correction, your child is free to see the world as it really is with their natural eyesight.
Even if your child is not heading back to the classroom this semester, their eye health is still important! Treat your child’s nearsightedness with overnight vision correction. Paragon CRT® lenses are prescribed by a certified eye care professional. To find one near you, click here!
[1] Myopia FAQs. (n.d.). Retrieved April 25, 2019, from https://www.aoa.org/patients-and-public/eye-and-vision-problems/glossary-of-eye-and-vision-conditions/myopia/myopia-faqs
[2] Foster, P., & Jiang, Y. (2014). Epidemiology of myopia. Eye The Scientific Journal If The Royal College of Ophthalmologists, 202-208. Retrieved April 25, 2019, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3930282/.
[3] Holden BA, Fricke TR, Wilson DA, Jong M, Naidoo KS, Sankaridurg P, Wong TY, Naduvilath TJ, Resnikoff S, Global Prevalence of Myopia and High Myopia and Temporal Trends from 2000 through 2050, Ophthalmology, May 2016 Volume 123, Issue 5, Pages 1036–1042
[4] Impact of Wearing Glasses on Student Test Scores [Scholarly project]. (2012). In Stanford Rural Education Action Program. Retrieved April 25, 2019, from https://reap.fsi.stanford.edu/research/seeing_is_learning__project_impact Stanford University
[5] Visual Impairments. (n.d.). Retrieved April 25, 2019, from http://www.projectidealonline.org/v/visual-impairments/
[6] Scheiman, M., Zhang, Q., Gwiazda, J., Hyman, L., Harb, E., Weissberg, E., . . . T. (2013). Visual activity and its association with myopia stabilisation. OPO The Journal of the College of Optometrists. Retrieved February 28, 2019, from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/opo.12111.
[7] Improving the Nation's Vision Health A Coordinated Public Health Approach (Rep.). (n.d.). Atlanta, GA: CDC. doi:https://www.cdc.gov/visionhealth/pdf/improving_nations_vision_health_508_final.pdf
[8] Rodriguez, E., Srivastava, A., & Landau, M. (2018). Increasing Screening Follow-Up for Vulnerable Children: A Partnership with School Nurses. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. Retrieved April 26, 2019, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6121602/.
[9] Saw SM, Katz J, Schein OD, Chew SJ, Chan TK. Epidemiology of myopia. Epidemiol Rev. 1996;18:175–187. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.epirev.a017924.
[10] Dias, L., Manny, R. E., Weissberg, E., & Fern, K. D. (2013). Myopia, contact lens use and self-esteem. Ophthalmic & Physiological Optics The Journal of the College of Optometrists, 33(5), 573-580. Retrieved April 26, 2019, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3743944/.
[11] FDA Approval Letter
[12] Paragon Vision Sciences, Consumer Survey, Data on File, Oct 2018