<![CDATA[ Eyezercise: Latest News]]> http://www.eyezercise.com Tue, 07 Sep 2010 18:11:10 +0000 <![CDATA[The Demise of the Child]]> http://www.eyezercise.com/news/5/The-Demise-of-the-Child.html Sun, 01 Mar 2009 15:58:51 +0000 http://www.eyezercise.com/news/5/The-Demise-of-the-Child.html The Demise of the Child

Here is an article from AllExperts.com. I’ve posted the question and the Ophthalmologist’s answer, which is the company line of the majority opinion optometric industry. I’ve posted my commentary below.

FD

Ophthalmology & Optometry - Son's eye sight is getting worse.

Expert: Dr Anand Shroff, MD, FICS - 2/20/2008

Question
My son is 12, he will be 13 in July. He started needed glasses when he was 8 and has had contacts for 3 years. Each time we go to the eye doctor, his contact prescription gets worse and worse. It is now -5.00 and -5.75. Should I be concerned? We have his eyes checked yearly. I think the last time we went, his prescription was -4.25 and -4.75. I know when I go (I am 33), my eyes get a little worse each time but they only get worse by like .25. Now, my presctiption is -5.00 and -4.75. His are worse then mine!?!? Is change in his eye sight normal? When will his eyes stop getting worse? Or will they? He's trerribly afraid he's going to go blind! I need help with some answers for him! 
 

Answer
Dear Lisa,

I can understand your concern. Firstly, do not worry. This is a very common problem in today’s times with more Game Boys and Video Games and TV compared to earlier times of outdoor sports.  It simply means your child having to use a spectacle correction, even though it may seem a huge number to you.

The most important thing is to see your ophthalmologist regularly.

He is not going to go blind, but these jumps are normal in their growing years.

Your child can plan on continuing contact lenses till suitable for LASIK and then can plan a Permanent correction with laser technology when older (18 years plus).
  
Till then you will have to go for regular eye checks and keep the records safely.
  
You can also try eye exercises (though there is no research committing to their benefits completely, but no harm either). These are available on our website www.shroffeye.org.
  
Hope this information helps,
You can keep me posted on the progress.
  
Hope this helps,
Regards,
Dr Anand Shroff, MS (OPHTH), FICS
www.shroffeye.org  

From Eyezercise.com

This doctor from Mumbai, India is spewing the company line. -5.00/-5.75 diopters normal? We don’t think so. To his credit, he does relate the extreme nearsightedness to excessive near work, which we believe is the underlying cause of most nearsightedness in the world. Many eye doctors and optometrists will not even acknowledge that near work causes myopia, or nearsightedness (because of the paradox that I will point out in the next few paragraphs). The good doctor seems to downplay the degree of myopia in this case, telling Mom not to worry about it….just keep her son coming into the clinic year after year for his new spectacles (at a huge pricetag for the visit and lenses), and finally having him come in after most of the myopia has progressed to it’s limit for laser eye surgery (again at a HUGE expense).

This is a perfect example of the INDUSTRY leading people down the road of misinformation and demise. Remember, most eye doctors receive little to no training in natural vision improvement, and they usually have no interest in it when asked because they believe that it will affect their bottom line profit center which is examining eyes for “error”, prescribing lenses (which encourage the problem to get worse), and finally treating the extreme situation with completely preventable and expensive eye surgery.

Let’s take a look at the company line paradox. I call this a paradox because it simply makes no scientific sense. Here it goes: If near vision work leads to myopia (as this doctor clearly states), then our eyes are responding to a larger DIVERGENCE of light entering the pupil (the closer something is, the more the light diverges from it). Look at the difference from top to bottom in the diagram below. The bottom image represents a distant object (beyond optical infinity, or approximately 20 feet). Notice how the lens is pulled to a thin shape. This occurs because the muscles that control the lens are AT REST. In the top diagram, the eye is looking at a close-up object.




To counter this excess divergence of light from the close-up object, the eye must tense the ciliary body muscles in order to relieve the tension on the lens, encapsulated within the muscles (and attached by zonules). The release of tension on the lens causes it to become more convex, or spherically shaped (notice that the lens at the top is fatter). This higher degree of curvature on the lens CONVERGES the light to focus on the retina at the back of the eye. So, the eye must, by natural laws of optics, over-converge light as it enters the pupil. Over time, a very real and important stress develops within the eye itself. This stress is medically documented and well understood. Nearpoint stress is what causes our distant vision to deteriorate BECAUSE our eyes are ADAPTING to excess near work. In other words, our eyes say, “Hey, I don’t like having to do all this work just to let Johnny see this book!” So, the eye responds by LENGTHENING the entire optical sphere to the shape of a football. Now, this change is measured in AXIAL LENGTH, which can be precisely measured to the hundredth of a millimeter. A very small change here results in a HUGE change in one’s degree of nearsightedness. Many medical studies document this elongation of the eye in myopes. Now for the “anomaly”….

If we place a minus diopter lens over the eye, what does that do to the light entering the eye? Well, anybody who knows anything about lenses and optics knows that a minus diopter lens is a concave lens which DIVERGES light. So, we place this diverging lens over our eyes and somehow expect that this will have NO EFFECT on our visual acuity????? I thought this was the situation that caused all these problems to begin with!!!!!!! Yet, the entire optical industry claims that this is truly the case. They have even spent millions of dollars in “clinical” studies to “prove” this in order to justify their standard of practice. Those studies are HUGELY biased and throw out vast relevant data to the contrary of their conclusions. A person of science looking at these studies would be nauseated at the sheer disregard for truth! If I turned in work like that for my masters degree thesis (I have a masters degree in Aerospace Science), I would still not have a masters degree.

So it goes. The new eyeglass prescription diverges light, causing more nearpoint stress and the whole process starts over again! Mom takes her child back to the eye doctor for his annual checkup and guess what? His vision is even WORSE!!!! (I didn’t see that one coming)!

Year after year, Mom voices her concern for her son’s vision and gets the same company line from her eye doctor along with a new pair of even stronger glasses for her son, who really is going blind now.

So, the paradox begins anew, and nobody really cares. Not the eye doctor, not the state board of optometry, not the lens manufacturers, and more importantly, not the entire eye care industry really cares about this. The real victim is the child, who now has to live the rest of his life having to rely on glasses, contacts, or eye surgery to be able to see the world clearly.

The real sad part is that this whole mess could have been avoided. If you take away the nearpoint stress before it begins, a person should be able to live their entire life with healthy, clear vision, just like 99% of the world population prior to the industrial revolution (that’s documented, too)!

Eyezercise!

]]> The Demise of the Child

Here is an article from AllExperts.com. I’ve posted the question and the Ophthalmologist’s answer, which is the company line of the majority opinion optometric industry. I’ve posted my commentary below.

FD

Ophthalmology & Optometry - Son's eye sight is getting worse.

Expert: Dr Anand Shroff, MD, FICS - 2/20/2008

Question
My son is 12, he will be 13 in July. He started needed glasses when he was 8 and has had contacts for 3 years. Each time we go to the eye doctor, his contact prescription gets worse and worse. It is now -5.00 and -5.75. Should I be concerned? We have his eyes checked yearly. I think the last time we went, his prescription was -4.25 and -4.75. I know when I go (I am 33), my eyes get a little worse each time but they only get worse by like .25. Now, my presctiption is -5.00 and -4.75. His are worse then mine!?!? Is change in his eye sight normal? When will his eyes stop getting worse? Or will they? He's trerribly afraid he's going to go blind! I need help with some answers for him! 
 

Answer
Dear Lisa,

I can understand your concern. Firstly, do not worry. This is a very common problem in today’s times with more Game Boys and Video Games and TV compared to earlier times of outdoor sports.  It simply means your child having to use a spectacle correction, even though it may seem a huge number to you.

The most important thing is to see your ophthalmologist regularly.

He is not going to go blind, but these jumps are normal in their growing years.

Your child can plan on continuing contact lenses till suitable for LASIK and then can plan a Permanent correction with laser technology when older (18 years plus).
  
Till then you will have to go for regular eye checks and keep the records safely.
  
You can also try eye exercises (though there is no research committing to their benefits completely, but no harm either). These are available on our website www.shroffeye.org.
  
Hope this information helps,
You can keep me posted on the progress.
  
Hope this helps,
Regards,
Dr Anand Shroff, MS (OPHTH), FICS
www.shroffeye.org  

From Eyezercise.com

This doctor from Mumbai, India is spewing the company line. -5.00/-5.75 diopters normal? We don’t think so. To his credit, he does relate the extreme nearsightedness to excessive near work, which we believe is the underlying cause of most nearsightedness in the world. Many eye doctors and optometrists will not even acknowledge that near work causes myopia, or nearsightedness (because of the paradox that I will point out in the next few paragraphs). The good doctor seems to downplay the degree of myopia in this case, telling Mom not to worry about it….just keep her son coming into the clinic year after year for his new spectacles (at a huge pricetag for the visit and lenses), and finally having him come in after most of the myopia has progressed to it’s limit for laser eye surgery (again at a HUGE expense).

This is a perfect example of the INDUSTRY leading people down the road of misinformation and demise. Remember, most eye doctors receive little to no training in natural vision improvement, and they usually have no interest in it when asked because they believe that it will affect their bottom line profit center which is examining eyes for “error”, prescribing lenses (which encourage the problem to get worse), and finally treating the extreme situation with completely preventable and expensive eye surgery.

Let’s take a look at the company line paradox. I call this a paradox because it simply makes no scientific sense. Here it goes: If near vision work leads to myopia (as this doctor clearly states), then our eyes are responding to a larger DIVERGENCE of light entering the pupil (the closer something is, the more the light diverges from it). Look at the difference from top to bottom in the diagram below. The bottom image represents a distant object (beyond optical infinity, or approximately 20 feet). Notice how the lens is pulled to a thin shape. This occurs because the muscles that control the lens are AT REST. In the top diagram, the eye is looking at a close-up object.




To counter this excess divergence of light from the close-up object, the eye must tense the ciliary body muscles in order to relieve the tension on the lens, encapsulated within the muscles (and attached by zonules). The release of tension on the lens causes it to become more convex, or spherically shaped (notice that the lens at the top is fatter). This higher degree of curvature on the lens CONVERGES the light to focus on the retina at the back of the eye. So, the eye must, by natural laws of optics, over-converge light as it enters the pupil. Over time, a very real and important stress develops within the eye itself. This stress is medically documented and well understood. Nearpoint stress is what causes our distant vision to deteriorate BECAUSE our eyes are ADAPTING to excess near work. In other words, our eyes say, “Hey, I don’t like having to do all this work just to let Johnny see this book!” So, the eye responds by LENGTHENING the entire optical sphere to the shape of a football. Now, this change is measured in AXIAL LENGTH, which can be precisely measured to the hundredth of a millimeter. A very small change here results in a HUGE change in one’s degree of nearsightedness. Many medical studies document this elongation of the eye in myopes. Now for the “anomaly”….

If we place a minus diopter lens over the eye, what does that do to the light entering the eye? Well, anybody who knows anything about lenses and optics knows that a minus diopter lens is a concave lens which DIVERGES light. So, we place this diverging lens over our eyes and somehow expect that this will have NO EFFECT on our visual acuity????? I thought this was the situation that caused all these problems to begin with!!!!!!! Yet, the entire optical industry claims that this is truly the case. They have even spent millions of dollars in “clinical” studies to “prove” this in order to justify their standard of practice. Those studies are HUGELY biased and throw out vast relevant data to the contrary of their conclusions. A person of science looking at these studies would be nauseated at the sheer disregard for truth! If I turned in work like that for my masters degree thesis (I have a masters degree in Aerospace Science), I would still not have a masters degree.

So it goes. The new eyeglass prescription diverges light, causing more nearpoint stress and the whole process starts over again! Mom takes her child back to the eye doctor for his annual checkup and guess what? His vision is even WORSE!!!! (I didn’t see that one coming)!

Year after year, Mom voices her concern for her son’s vision and gets the same company line from her eye doctor along with a new pair of even stronger glasses for her son, who really is going blind now.

So, the paradox begins anew, and nobody really cares. Not the eye doctor, not the state board of optometry, not the lens manufacturers, and more importantly, not the entire eye care industry really cares about this. The real victim is the child, who now has to live the rest of his life having to rely on glasses, contacts, or eye surgery to be able to see the world clearly.

The real sad part is that this whole mess could have been avoided. If you take away the nearpoint stress before it begins, a person should be able to live their entire life with healthy, clear vision, just like 99% of the world population prior to the industrial revolution (that’s documented, too)!

Eyezercise!

]]> <![CDATA[Dr. Steve Leung, O.D. on Nearsightedness]]> http://www.eyezercise.com/news/4/Dr.-Steve-Leung%2C-O.D.-on-Nearsightedness.html Sat, 24 May 2008 20:22:38 +0000 http://www.eyezercise.com/news/4/Dr.-Steve-Leung%2C-O.D.-on-Nearsightedness.html From: Steve Leung OD

Dear Myopic Folk,

Subject: An optometrist's personal experience or MY AWAKENING

I am a practicing optometrist working in the field of optics
for more than 16 years. During these years I faced an excessive
high rate of children developing nearsightedness (myopia). It is
very hard to resist the obvious need to use a minus lens
(compensating lens) for these children.

I deeply appreciate that we all value clear distant vision
for life. Achieving this goal would be of great value for all of
us.

Everyday, a great many people are developing the vision
problems of nearsightedness, farsightedness, aged vision -- as
well as crossed and lazy eyes. These people come to my office and
require immediate vision correction. They all need glasses.

Among the visual problems, the case of myopia correction
bothers me greatly. It is a dilemma and tragedy of using a
"correcting" lenses, when in fact these glasses eventually become
a crutch for life.

In the early years of practice, I was not aware the long-term
bad effect that a minus lens has on the eye.

This is because neither the curriculum textbooks nor the
professors pointed out the ultimate side effect that a minus lens
has on the eye -- during my many years of doing course work in
optometry.

After graduation, I practiced the full scope of optometry,
from refraction to fundus eye examination, and vision correction
by optical means. But once these means are removed, the vision is
neither improved nor restored.

The minus lens is merely an aid to vision, i.e., compensation
by external means.

In the majority of cases, naked-eye vision gets worse with
the traditional minus lens correction.

The children will need stronger power glasses in the
following years. It is a matter of treating the symptom -- but
does not achieve an effective cure.

I have been mulling over in my mind -- to think about
alternative and better methods to manage myopic eyes, because I
also am nearsighted.

With my accumulating experience, I am well aware that
constant wearing of minus lens glasses are harmful especially the
full power ones. However, there is no choice but to use a minus
lens if the child cannot see well in his class.

At times, the best that I can do is to emphasize that the use
of (minus lens) glasses be restricted to chalk board, and always
must be removed after class. This is the first step in goal of
avoiding the glasses' side effect.

But being myopic is unfortunate and inconvenient. At times
it seems that none of us can escape the use of a minus lenses to
restore clear vision.

I have been driven into deep thinking about a way of, "how to
restore clear vision from myopic and how to maintain distant
vision for life."

As a father and an optometrist, I felt a strong commitment to
protect my own child's vision. It was because my child (age 4) in
her curiosity asked me, "Dad, why do you always wear glasses? Why
are the kids I play with in school wearing glasses?"

Her statement had a serious impact on me, and I woke up to
the fact that a child should not be fitted with minus lens glasses
-- if there are means to doing so.

Why? The earlier age you begin wearing the minus lens, the
faster vision deteriorates. The minus lens can make vision worse
all by itself! Many scientists, engineers and health workers have
formed this opinion -- that the minus lens is definitely harmful
to young kid's long-term vision.

Because I was sensitive to both the requirement to use the
minus lens, but also understood the secondary effect I began much
broader research into the subject matter. This included the
judgment of engineers and scientists (and some ophthalmologists)
who "object" to the use of the minus lens.

Fortunately, I met several enthusiastic engineers, physicists
and scientists via internet in 2001 by chance. They provided
excellent postings in their web sites where I got a deep insight
about the development and management of child's acquired myopia --
to include the potential of preventing it in the first place by
wise use of a (preventive) plus lens. They are Donald Rehm, Otis
Brown, James Arthur, Dr. Stirling Colgate and Alex Eulenberg.

In fact, researchers such as Dr. Jacob Raphaelson and Dr.
Francis Young had conducted pioneering work to determine the
cause, effect, and remedy for myopia acquired in school. As early
as 1904, Dr. Jacob Raphaelson had used the plus (convex) lens to
effectively cure a child's myopia. Further, Dr. Francis Young
has revealed the true cause of acquired myopia with his large
number of insightful experiments and scientific publications in
the 1960s. All the above mentioned scientists advocate that
preventative measures be instituted to help children avoid getting
into myopia in the first place.

In view of their spirit and fortitude, I felt that I bore a
responsibility as an optometrist if I did nothing to assist in the
prevention of myopia.

I regret that I became part of the system that was put in
place long time ago -- and that this system has not changed in any
significant detail since its inception.

My goal is to look to the future and begin preventive methods
which can be effective for the child who is on the threshold of
myopia. Today, I make it clear that my mission and task is to try
my best to discuss the alternate opinion on the therapeutic use of
the plus lens -- instead of the compensatory use of minus lens. I
do everything in my power to explain the long-term effect that the
minus lens has on the eye's refractive status, and I encourage
parents to review this issue for themselves.

I have supported several hundred children with the plus lens
since 2001. The long term effect of the lens is developing, and
results will become better as the use becomes more complete. Most
of the children retain their current refractive (focal) status and
few of them achieved significant vision improvement. Although it
is unusual, there have been several cases of complete vision
recovery! I also felt that making this commitment is a matter of
my personal integrity, and is necessarily part of my work and
career.


Steve Leung
Optometrist
Hong Kong,SAR
May 2003

]]> From: Steve Leung OD

Dear Myopic Folk,

Subject: An optometrist's personal experience or MY AWAKENING

I am a practicing optometrist working in the field of optics
for more than 16 years. During these years I faced an excessive
high rate of children developing nearsightedness (myopia). It is
very hard to resist the obvious need to use a minus lens
(compensating lens) for these children.

I deeply appreciate that we all value clear distant vision
for life. Achieving this goal would be of great value for all of
us.

Everyday, a great many people are developing the vision
problems of nearsightedness, farsightedness, aged vision -- as
well as crossed and lazy eyes. These people come to my office and
require immediate vision correction. They all need glasses.

Among the visual problems, the case of myopia correction
bothers me greatly. It is a dilemma and tragedy of using a
"correcting" lenses, when in fact these glasses eventually become
a crutch for life.

In the early years of practice, I was not aware the long-term
bad effect that a minus lens has on the eye.

This is because neither the curriculum textbooks nor the
professors pointed out the ultimate side effect that a minus lens
has on the eye -- during my many years of doing course work in
optometry.

After graduation, I practiced the full scope of optometry,
from refraction to fundus eye examination, and vision correction
by optical means. But once these means are removed, the vision is
neither improved nor restored.

The minus lens is merely an aid to vision, i.e., compensation
by external means.

In the majority of cases, naked-eye vision gets worse with
the traditional minus lens correction.

The children will need stronger power glasses in the
following years. It is a matter of treating the symptom -- but
does not achieve an effective cure.

I have been mulling over in my mind -- to think about
alternative and better methods to manage myopic eyes, because I
also am nearsighted.

With my accumulating experience, I am well aware that
constant wearing of minus lens glasses are harmful especially the
full power ones. However, there is no choice but to use a minus
lens if the child cannot see well in his class.

At times, the best that I can do is to emphasize that the use
of (minus lens) glasses be restricted to chalk board, and always
must be removed after class. This is the first step in goal of
avoiding the glasses' side effect.

But being myopic is unfortunate and inconvenient. At times
it seems that none of us can escape the use of a minus lenses to
restore clear vision.

I have been driven into deep thinking about a way of, "how to
restore clear vision from myopic and how to maintain distant
vision for life."

As a father and an optometrist, I felt a strong commitment to
protect my own child's vision. It was because my child (age 4) in
her curiosity asked me, "Dad, why do you always wear glasses? Why
are the kids I play with in school wearing glasses?"

Her statement had a serious impact on me, and I woke up to
the fact that a child should not be fitted with minus lens glasses
-- if there are means to doing so.

Why? The earlier age you begin wearing the minus lens, the
faster vision deteriorates. The minus lens can make vision worse
all by itself! Many scientists, engineers and health workers have
formed this opinion -- that the minus lens is definitely harmful
to young kid's long-term vision.

Because I was sensitive to both the requirement to use the
minus lens, but also understood the secondary effect I began much
broader research into the subject matter. This included the
judgment of engineers and scientists (and some ophthalmologists)
who "object" to the use of the minus lens.

Fortunately, I met several enthusiastic engineers, physicists
and scientists via internet in 2001 by chance. They provided
excellent postings in their web sites where I got a deep insight
about the development and management of child's acquired myopia --
to include the potential of preventing it in the first place by
wise use of a (preventive) plus lens. They are Donald Rehm, Otis
Brown, James Arthur, Dr. Stirling Colgate and Alex Eulenberg.

In fact, researchers such as Dr. Jacob Raphaelson and Dr.
Francis Young had conducted pioneering work to determine the
cause, effect, and remedy for myopia acquired in school. As early
as 1904, Dr. Jacob Raphaelson had used the plus (convex) lens to
effectively cure a child's myopia. Further, Dr. Francis Young
has revealed the true cause of acquired myopia with his large
number of insightful experiments and scientific publications in
the 1960s. All the above mentioned scientists advocate that
preventative measures be instituted to help children avoid getting
into myopia in the first place.

In view of their spirit and fortitude, I felt that I bore a
responsibility as an optometrist if I did nothing to assist in the
prevention of myopia.

I regret that I became part of the system that was put in
place long time ago -- and that this system has not changed in any
significant detail since its inception.

My goal is to look to the future and begin preventive methods
which can be effective for the child who is on the threshold of
myopia. Today, I make it clear that my mission and task is to try
my best to discuss the alternate opinion on the therapeutic use of
the plus lens -- instead of the compensatory use of minus lens. I
do everything in my power to explain the long-term effect that the
minus lens has on the eye's refractive status, and I encourage
parents to review this issue for themselves.

I have supported several hundred children with the plus lens
since 2001. The long term effect of the lens is developing, and
results will become better as the use becomes more complete. Most
of the children retain their current refractive (focal) status and
few of them achieved significant vision improvement. Although it
is unusual, there have been several cases of complete vision
recovery! I also felt that making this commitment is a matter of
my personal integrity, and is necessarily part of my work and
career.


Steve Leung
Optometrist
Hong Kong,SAR
May 2003

]]> <![CDATA[Singapore's Health Promotion Board Statement on Myopia]]> http://www.eyezercise.com/news/3/Singapore%27s-Health-Promotion-Board-Statement-on-Myopia.html Sat, 24 May 2008 19:57:12 +0000 http://www.eyezercise.com/news/3/Singapore%27s-Health-Promotion-Board-Statement-on-Myopia.html Myopia

Myopia, or shortsightedness, is a common disorder. A person who has myopia can see near objects clearly but distant objects appear blurred. This is because the focal point of a visual image falls in front of the retina instead of directly on it. The eyeball may be too long from front to back.

It is not clear what causes myopia. Myopia usually develop in children of school-going age and continues to worsen through to the early 20s, after which it usually stabilises. In Singapore, more than half are myopic by the time they are twelve and three-quarters by the time they reach eighteen. Myopia usually runs in the family. Chinese are more prone to myopia and the risk is higher if one or both of the parents are also myopic.
Practice good eye care habits today!

Avoid prolonged near work, take a break after every 30 to 40 minutes. You can look out the window, or simply go outdoors for activities!



Symptoms


Blurred Vision
Headaches from straining eyes
Squinting
Treatment

Currently, there is no cure for myopia. Spectacles and contact lenses serve to correct vision. To date, doctors and scientists have not discovered how to prevent myopia. Near work however, appears to be an important environmental factor in the development of myopia.

Studies have indicated that excessive near work can lead to or worsen myopia. In Singapore, our children tend to spend a lot of time on near work. In addition to time spent on school work, home work and perhaps tuition, they also engage in games on handheld electronics devices, or handphones and other computer related activities such as blogging and internet chats.

It is important to reduce to reduce excessive amount of time spent on unnecessary near work. Also, encourage your child to take a break after 30 - 40 minutes of near work such as reading or writing. They can do this by going outdoors for activities (such as sports or a stroll) or looking at distant objects out of a window.


Teach your children healthy eye care habits. Although we do not know everything about how to prevent myopia, these habits may halt the deterioration of myopia.

Good Eye Care Habits

When reading, ensure that the book is at least 30 cm away from the eyes while sitting upright in a comfortable adjustable chair. Ensure sufficient lighting in the room but not strong direct light shining onto the book or face.

When watching television programmes or playing video games, ensure that they sit at a distant away from the TV that is appropriate to its size. The room light should be switched on and the height of the television set should be set at eye level or lower. Discourage them from watching television while lying down.

If they are using the computer, place the monitor screen at least 50 cm away from the eyes. Make sure they sit upright and do not lean forward towards the monitor screen. Adjust the monitor screen to 10 to 15 degrees below the eye level. The keyboard should be placed directly in front of the monitor. Place reading material on a paper stand beside the monitor and at the same angle, level and distance away.

Correction of myopia

Eyeglasses or contact lenses are the most common ways of correcting myopia. There are also surgical procedures (e.g. LASIK) to improve or correct myopia. However, these surgical procedures only serve to correct refractive errors. They do not treat the elongated myopic eyeball or reduce the risk of complications that occur due to severe myopia.

It is not advisable for children to undergo these surgical procedures as their eyeballs are still developing.


Other Information

The higher the degree of myopia, the higher the risks of developing complications which leads to reduced vision and blindness. The following are some complications of severe myopia:


Retinal detachment occurs when the inner layer of the eye becomes separated from the eyeball.
There is also a higher chance of developing cataracts (opaqueness of the lens) at an earlier age.
Severe myopia can also lead to too much fluid pressure in the eyeballs resulting in glaucoma.
Macular degeneration occurs when the retina degenerates leading to reduced vision.

]]> Myopia

Myopia, or shortsightedness, is a common disorder. A person who has myopia can see near objects clearly but distant objects appear blurred. This is because the focal point of a visual image falls in front of the retina instead of directly on it. The eyeball may be too long from front to back.

It is not clear what causes myopia. Myopia usually develop in children of school-going age and continues to worsen through to the early 20s, after which it usually stabilises. In Singapore, more than half are myopic by the time they are twelve and three-quarters by the time they reach eighteen. Myopia usually runs in the family. Chinese are more prone to myopia and the risk is higher if one or both of the parents are also myopic.
Practice good eye care habits today!

Avoid prolonged near work, take a break after every 30 to 40 minutes. You can look out the window, or simply go outdoors for activities!



Symptoms


Blurred Vision
Headaches from straining eyes
Squinting
Treatment

Currently, there is no cure for myopia. Spectacles and contact lenses serve to correct vision. To date, doctors and scientists have not discovered how to prevent myopia. Near work however, appears to be an important environmental factor in the development of myopia.

Studies have indicated that excessive near work can lead to or worsen myopia. In Singapore, our children tend to spend a lot of time on near work. In addition to time spent on school work, home work and perhaps tuition, they also engage in games on handheld electronics devices, or handphones and other computer related activities such as blogging and internet chats.

It is important to reduce to reduce excessive amount of time spent on unnecessary near work. Also, encourage your child to take a break after 30 - 40 minutes of near work such as reading or writing. They can do this by going outdoors for activities (such as sports or a stroll) or looking at distant objects out of a window.


Teach your children healthy eye care habits. Although we do not know everything about how to prevent myopia, these habits may halt the deterioration of myopia.

Good Eye Care Habits

When reading, ensure that the book is at least 30 cm away from the eyes while sitting upright in a comfortable adjustable chair. Ensure sufficient lighting in the room but not strong direct light shining onto the book or face.

When watching television programmes or playing video games, ensure that they sit at a distant away from the TV that is appropriate to its size. The room light should be switched on and the height of the television set should be set at eye level or lower. Discourage them from watching television while lying down.

If they are using the computer, place the monitor screen at least 50 cm away from the eyes. Make sure they sit upright and do not lean forward towards the monitor screen. Adjust the monitor screen to 10 to 15 degrees below the eye level. The keyboard should be placed directly in front of the monitor. Place reading material on a paper stand beside the monitor and at the same angle, level and distance away.

Correction of myopia

Eyeglasses or contact lenses are the most common ways of correcting myopia. There are also surgical procedures (e.g. LASIK) to improve or correct myopia. However, these surgical procedures only serve to correct refractive errors. They do not treat the elongated myopic eyeball or reduce the risk of complications that occur due to severe myopia.

It is not advisable for children to undergo these surgical procedures as their eyeballs are still developing.


Other Information

The higher the degree of myopia, the higher the risks of developing complications which leads to reduced vision and blindness. The following are some complications of severe myopia:


Retinal detachment occurs when the inner layer of the eye becomes separated from the eyeball.
There is also a higher chance of developing cataracts (opaqueness of the lens) at an earlier age.
Severe myopia can also lead to too much fluid pressure in the eyeballs resulting in glaucoma.
Macular degeneration occurs when the retina degenerates leading to reduced vision.

]]> <![CDATA[Problems with Laser Eye Surgery]]> http://www.eyezercise.com/news/2/Problems-with-Laser-Eye-Surgery.html Sat, 24 May 2008 16:48:03 +0000 http://www.eyezercise.com/news/2/Problems-with-Laser-Eye-Surgery.html "New scientific research from Germany shows that seven out of ten patients are left with defective vision after laser surgery.

Poor night vision, nyctalopia, is caused by the eyes inability to respond quickly enough to changing levels of light, causing glare, ghosting, halos and starbursts.

This is corrected in most patients by glasses. However, if you've had laser surgery, the condition may be untreatable."


BBC London LASER EYE SURGERY Watchdog

]]> "New scientific research from Germany shows that seven out of ten patients are left with defective vision after laser surgery.

Poor night vision, nyctalopia, is caused by the eyes inability to respond quickly enough to changing levels of light, causing glare, ghosting, halos and starbursts.

This is corrected in most patients by glasses. However, if you've had laser surgery, the condition may be untreatable."


BBC London LASER EYE SURGERY Watchdog

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