Why eye doctors are calling ‘myopia’ a pediatric epidemic

Eye doctors call ‘myopia’ a pediatric epidemic. Kaiser doctor explains what’s going on

Updated: 11:54 AM PDT Oct 20, 2023

THREE YEARS. WELL, IN RECENT YEARS, HEALTH EXPERTS HAVE SEEN AN INCREASE IN MYOPIA, ALSO KNOWN AS NEARSIGHTED ILLNESS IN KIDS. AND IT’S GOTTEN SO BAD THAT THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF OPTOMETRY AND THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF OPHTHALMOLOGY ARE CALLING IT AN EPIDEMIC. DR. NATASHA LAWTON WITH KAISER PERMANENTE CENTRAL VALLEY IS JOINING US NOW TO TALK ABOUT THE SURGE IN CASES. SO WHAT IS IT SPECIFICALLY THAT’S BEEN HAPPENING IN THE LAST FEW YEARS THAT HAS MAYBE BEEN LEADING TO THIS RISE? DEFINITELY. I THINK THE SINGLE BIGGEST CONTRIBUTOR HAS BEEN THE INCREASE OVERALL IN INDOOR TIME INCREASE IN SCREEN TIME AS CHILDREN AND YOUNG ADULTS HAVE TRANSITIONED AWAY FROM BEING OUTSIDE TO TO SPENDING MUCH MORE TIME ON THEIR ON THEIR TABLETS, ON THEIR PHONES, IN FRONT OF TVS DURING THIS PANDEMIC. AND SO BEING ON THESE SCREENS ALL THE TIME, IT’S REALLY CHALLENGING. DR. LAWTON, BECAUSE A LOT OF LIKE THEIR SCHOOLWORK NOW IS DONE IN THE CLASSROOM, ALSO ON SCREENS. BUT THERE ARE SOME SOME WAYS TO USE THE SCREENS THAT CAN LESSEN THE CHANCES OF THE NEARSIGHTEDNESS COMING ON. FOR EXAMPLE, NOT DOING THIS IN A DARK ROOM IS ONE THING I WILL HELP, RIGHT? RIGHT. BETTER LIGHTING IS IS KEY. SO AVOIDING DIM LIGHTING AND WE ALSO RECOMMEND SPENDING AT LEAST TWO HOURS DAILY OUTSIDE IN NATURAL SUNLIGHT AS A PROTECTIVE FACTOR AGAINST MYOPIA. CAN YOU EXPLAIN WHY? WHY THE NATURAL SUNLIGHT HELPS THE EYES BETTER HANDLE ALL OF THIS? YES. SO WE DON’T FULLY UNDERSTAND THE MECHANISM FOR WHY NATURAL SUNLIGHT IS PROTECTIVE FOR MYOPIA, BUT WE DO THINK THAT IT HAS TO DO WITH DECREASED STRAIN ON THE EYES FROM FROM NEAR-WORK AND FOCUSING UP CLOSE AND SO WHEN WE’RE OUTSIDE, WE’RE FOCUSING MORE ON DISTANT TARGETS. SO SO THAT’S VERY DIFFERENT FROM KIND OF THE STRAIN THAT WE’RE THAT WE’RE GETTING FROM ACCOMMODATING AND DOING NEAR WORK. SO THE RECOMMENDATION IS TO SPEND THAT TIME OUTSIDE AND DOING SPORTS, DOING DISTANCE ACTIVITIES AND THAT NATURAL SUNLIGHT JUST SEEMS TO BE PROTECTIVE. THE REAL LIFE PART OF IT. SO THE LIGHTING IS ONE THING. THE OTHER THING I’VE HEARD IS HOLDING SCREENS OUT AT LEAST AN ARM LENGTH. YOU KNOW, SO IF YOU HAVE THE IPAD NOT BEING RIGHT UP ON TOP OF IT OR BEING RIGHT UP ON TOP RIGHT BY YOUR NOSE, WHY IS THAT? IS THAT, AGAIN, THE FOCUSING ISSUE? YES. AGAIN, THAT FOCUSING AND ACCOMMODATING THE MORE YOU ACCOMMODATE THAT SENDS MORE OF A SIGNAL, WE THINK, FOR THE EYEBALL TO ELONGATE AND BECOME LONGER SO THAT THE IMAGE THAT’S COMING IN IS FOCUSING IN FRONT OF THE RETINA INSTEAD OF RIGHT ON IT AND KIND OF THE MORE NEAR WORK AND THE MORE OF THAT ACCOMMODATION YOU’RE DOING, IT SEEMS TO DRIVE AN ACCELERATION IN THAT WE’VE GOT LIKE FIVE SECONDS. BUT I’M JUST CURIOUS, CAN YOU REVERSE THIS IN KIDS? IT CAN’T BE REVERSED, BUT IT CERTAINLY CAN BE SLOWED DOWN. SO IN ADDITION TO SPENDING MORE TIME OUTSIDE IN SUNLIGHT, THERE’S LOW DOSE MEDICATION OF A DROP CALLED ATROPINE THAT CAN BE USED DAILY TO TO SLOW DOWN THE PROGRESSION OF MYOPIA. AND ALSO, THERE’S A MULTIFOCAL CONTACT LENSES NOW THAT HAVE BEEN APPROVED FOR THIS PURPOSE THAT BLUR THE PERIPHERAL OR SIDE VISION WHILE KEEPING THE CENTER VISION CLEAR AND THAT CAN SLOW IT DOWN AS WELL. BUT UNFORTUNATELY, IT CANNOT BE REVERSED. ONCE YOU HAVE IT, GREAT. WELL, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. I APPR

Eye doctors call ‘myopia’ a pediatric epidemic. Kaiser doctor explains what’s going on

Updated: 11:54 AM PDT Oct 20, 2023

Is your kid squinting a lot? Myopia is on the rise, and optometrists are calling it an epidemic.Myopia is nearsightedness, or the inability to see objects far away clearly. Dr. Natasha Loudin is an ophthalmologist with Kaiser Permanente Central Valley. She has seen a surge in cases in her patients. Squinting is one symptom. But kids also complain of headaches or tired eyes.”The single biggest contribution is the increase in indoor time, screen time and getting away from spending time outdoors,” Loudin said.There are a few easy behavioral changes families can make to lessen their risk. First, turn on the lights. Watching screens in a dark room increases eye strain. And there’s a difference between the way the brain processes a screen versus a book. It turns out your parent was right. Sitting too close to a screen is bad for your eyes. Make sure to keep things like iPads, smartphones and laptops at least an arm’s length away. Natural light plays a role as well. “Spend at least two hours in sunlight each day,” Loudin said. Get more of Loudin’s tips and treatment options for myopia in her conversation with Deirdre Fitzpatrick above.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. —

Is your kid squinting a lot? Myopia is on the rise, and optometrists are calling it an epidemic.

Myopia is nearsightedness, or the inability to see objects far away clearly.

Dr. Natasha Loudin is an ophthalmologist with Kaiser Permanente Central Valley.

She has seen a surge in cases in her patients. Squinting is one symptom. But kids also complain of headaches or tired eyes.

“The single biggest contribution is the increase in indoor time, screen time and getting away from spending time outdoors,” Loudin said.

There are a few easy behavioral changes families can make to lessen their risk. First, turn on the lights. Watching screens in a dark room increases eye strain. And there’s a difference between the way the brain processes a screen versus a book.

It turns out your parent was right. Sitting too close to a screen is bad for your eyes. Make sure to keep things like iPads, smartphones and laptops at least an arm’s length away.

Natural light plays a role as well.

“Spend at least two hours in sunlight each day,” Loudin said.

Get more of Loudin’s tips and treatment options for myopia in her conversation with Deirdre Fitzpatrick above.

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