Myopia Management: 5 Ways to Slow the Progression of Nearsightedness

Is your screen time ruining your eyesight? Maybe. Studies show there could be a link between modern indoor lifestyles spent on computers, tablets, and smartphones and nearsightedness or myopia. 

Myopia is another name for nearsightedness, which affects roughly 42% of Americans. The numbers are even higher in Asia. Dr. Bimal Patel leads the expert team at Focus Refined Eye Care in the Greater Heights and Montrose neighborhoods of Houston, Texas. He evaluates your eyes and provides tailored recommendations for slowing down the progression of nearsightedness.

What causes myopia? 

It’s thought that nearsightedness stems from a combination of genetics and environment. Environmental factors include spending an inordinate amount of time indoors and doing close work, like reading or working on a screen.

Physically, the eyeball can grow too long or the cornea too curved, causing light to focus in front of the retina rather than on it. This misplaced light makes things look blurry.

Nearsightedness is common and easy to correct with eyeglasses, contact lenses, or vision correction surgery. However, it can also lead to complications like cataracts, glaucoma, or even retinal detachment. 

5 ways to slow nearsightedness 

By making lifestyle changes, you can significantly reduce the progression of nearsightedness in you or your children.

Go outside 

One effective way to combat the creep of myopia is to spend more time outside. In previous generations, people did more work outside, which worked their bodies and slowed the onset of nearsightedness. 

While the reasons why spending time outside aren’t wholly understood, it’s likely a mix: outdoor light is a different spectrum and may have a protective effect. Additionally, outdoor activities are often different—more playing or yard work than being glued to a screen.

Children who spend 80-120 minutes a day outside may benefit from better eyesight longer. This is especially true for those whose parents are nearsighted. 

Reduce screen time 

The mantra of parents everywhere. Yes, it’s hard for any of us to reduce screen time these days. Much of work, school, and entertainment takes place on a screen.

However, the more breaks you can take from the screen the better for your eyes. Good visual hygiene includes the 20-20-20 rule: focus on something 20 feet away for 20 seconds every 20 minutes. You could always set a timer and use this time to stand up and stretch, too. 

Try multifocal contact lenses 

These lenses apply different powers throughout, which causes a minor blurring effect. They trick the eye into thinking distant objects are out of focus. The purpose is to stop the eye from growing longer, which worsens nearsightedness.

Under correction 

This is an approach where we prescribe a child a slightly weaker prescription than needed for full correction. This can reduce eyestrain when on the screen because it prevents the eye from growing too long. 

LASIK vision correction 

LASIK helps millions of people see clearly without glasses or contact lenses. It’s a simple, effective, and pain-free in-office procedure that takes less than fifteen minutes and uses a laser to reshape your cornea.

While nearsightedness stems from genetics and environmental factors such as spending more time inside and engaging in close activities like computer use, it is possible to slow the progression of nearsightedness and maintain healthy eyes longer. 

Complications from nearsightedness include glaucoma and even retinal detachment. To keep your eyes healthy, visit Dr. Patel at Focus Refined Eye Care in the Greater Heights and Montrose neighborhoods of Houston, Texas.