Imagine a young child who wants to learn martial arts – just like that hero in the movie or TV show. But they feel held back due to poor vision. They are the quiet child, the child hesitant and doubtful in their performance…
So many aspects can influence your child’s confidence and their overall well-being. How does your child feel about themselves? How are their grades, their friends? There is more to quality of life than just a child’s basic needs, such as their academics, their social life, and their self-esteem. In this blog we address how improving a child’s vision with overnight contact lenses can be life-changing. How that child in the martial arts class can go from timid to triumphant all because they can use their natural eyesight during the day.
Your Child’s Potential
From shinning green leaves on treetops to the glow of streetlamps – the world is vibrant. Make sure your child can see the world as it really is. In the first step at measuring and improving quality of life we need to consider a child’s health, and this includes their visual health. Nearsightedness is one of the common threats to healthy vision. Nearsightedness is where far away objects appear blurry. Nearsightedness is also known as myopia. Myopia is a rapidly increasing epidemic. By 2020, it is estimated that the number of people with myopia will grow to one-third of the world’s population (2.5 billion).1
There are many ways to treat myopia such as glasses or daytime contacts. Orthokeratology (Ortho-K) is another treatment option that involves your child wearing Ortho-K contacts at night while they sleep. During the night the lens reshapes the curvature of the cornea. In the morning, your child will remove the lenses for improved vision without the need for daytime contacts or glasses.
Nearsightedness usually begins in childhood at school age (six years and onwards.) When left uncorrected, nearsightedness can affect a child’s ability to learn and develop.1 There is a connection to wearing Ortho-K lenses and an improvement in academics.2
Not only have clinical studies2 shown an improved ability to learn from wearing Ortho-K contacts but higher self-esteem, a willingness to try new things, more participation in sports and entertainment, more time spent outdoors, and a positive impact on social acceptance.2 All of these are important to helping your child reach their goals and their greatest potential.
What Matters to Your Child
In one study, the top reasons children picked Ortho-K to treat their nearsightedness was due to its convenience for sports, from classmate’s recommendations, an improved perception of physical appearance, and varied reasons that offered a positive impact towards a child’s confidence, cheerfulness, and their physical and psychological development.2
“The change indicated after getting rid of the limitations of spectacles, the advantage of freedom from corrective lens wear is very powerful and potentially life-changing for children, notably for an active child involved in swimming, basketball, and other sports. Children showed a tendency for more active participation in sports and recreational activities and prolonged outdoor activity time.” – Clinical article on the connection between Ortho-K lenses and children’s quality of life.2
Interested in Ortho-K for Your Child?
Get your child engaging more in class, help their performance in sports, see them brighten up with confidence by treating their nearsightedness with Ortho-K lenses. Paragon CRT® Contacts are Ortho-K lenses. Paragon CRT® are the first FDA approved3 lenses for overnight wear and are a popular choice around the world.4 Due to Paragon CRT® being a specialty, FDA approved lens, they can only be prescribed by a certified eye doctor. Search for a certified eyecare professional near you with our easy-to-use Find a Doctor resource.
[1] Holden, B. A., T. R. Fricke, D. A. Wilson, M. Jong, K. S. Naidoo, P.
Sankaridurg, T. Y. Wong, T. J. Naduvilath and S. Resnikoff (2016).
"Global Prevalence of Myopia and High Myopia and Temporal Trends from
2000 through 2050." Ophthalmology 123(5): 1036-1042.
[2] F. Z., G. Z., & Z. Z. (2018). Investigation of the Effect of Orthokeratology Lenses on Quality of Life and Behaviors of Children. Contact Lens Association of Ophthalmologists, Inc., 44(5). Retrieved May 8, 2019.
[3] FDA Approval Letter - CRT - 06/18/2002
[4] Paragon Vision Sciences, Data on file, 2017