How is myopia treated? And does it have long-lasting effects on a child's eyesight?

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Myopia is corrected with spectacles. There is no cure for myopia and the best thing one could do is to try and slow down it's progression. Practicing good eye care habits would help. Some good eye care habits include: - Holding reading material 30 cm away from the face/eyes, and try to read while sitting upright rather than lying down - When watching television, the television should be approximately 2-metres away - Computer screens should be approximately 50 cm away from the eyes and adjusted to minimize glare - Lighting should be sufficient to illuminate the room when reading, using the computer or watching television, but not cause any glare - Encourage your child to take a break to rest the eyes every 30 to 40 minutes of reading or watching television; look out the window at far away objects and do eye exercises to relax the eyes - Encourage children to spend more time outdoors. For more information, do take a look at this article: http://www.snec.com.sg/eye-conditions-and-treatments/common-eye-conditions-and-procedures/pages/childhood-myopia.aspx

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In addition to the above answers, some forms of vision correction for myopia are spectacles, contact lenses, refractive surgery and orthokeratology. With traditional spectacles and contact lenses, they focus light rays onto the retina to provide clear vision. Unfortunately, peripheral light rays may be focused at the back of the eye ball causing elongation, which means an increase in myopia. As a means of myopia control, there are several ways, of which the most effective methods proven are Orthokeratology and/or Atropine eye drops. With the former, there will be no need for day time spectacles or contact lenses as the patient will have clear vision for about 18 hours while the latter requires the patient to continue with spectacles as a form of vision correction. Both forms of treatment have been proven to control myopia by about 50%. With Orthokeratology and Atropine, we normally talk about the risks and side effects respectively and it will be best to discuss with your practitioner to see if a particular treatment is suitable for your child.

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If the degree increases dramatically in one year, you could go and make an appointment at the Singapore National Eye Centre. The doctor may prescribe your child with an atropine drop, to be administered daily for two years. My child has completed the treatment and it was effective for him.