Children could be cured of short-sightedness by wearing soft contact lenses at night which re-shape their eyes to prevent them ever needing glasses, a study has shown. Trials involving more than 300 children in Britain and across the world showed that the lenses can stop the eye becoming misshapen which leads to myopia.
In April, a study published by Ulster University found that the rate of short-sightedness in Britain has doubled over the past 50 years, because children no longer spend enough time outdoors. Twenty-three per cent of British 12 and 13-year-olds now suffer from myopia which causes distant objects to appear blurred, while close objects can be seen clearly – compared to 10 per cent in the 1960s.
However a new study has found that contact lenses can stop the progression of myopia, a practice known as Orthokeratology.The lenses, which are removed each morning, control the shape of the eye so that it grows in the correct manner so that glasses are never needed.None of the children within the study suffered further change in their vision during the three year trial period although all of the control groups rapidly deteriorated.
“Parents who are worried about myopic progression in their children now have a viable option,” said Professor Pauline Chom, of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, which carried out one of the trials.“Orthokeratology has been shown to effectively slow the progression of myopia in children.”
