Have you or your child been experiencing blurred vision lately? Do your eyes get tired or do objects appear increasingly out of focus? This could be the result of a refractive error.
But don’t worry! Refractive errors are amongst the most common vision issues and your experienced optometrist will help you diagnose, treat and delay the progression of your blurry vision with a solution to suit your lifestyle.
Types of refractive errors:
Refractive errors refer to four different conditions that affect your eye’s ability to focus the light that enters it. These are:
· Astigmatism: Both objects that are up close and at a distance appear blurry.
· Hyperopia (farsightedness): Close objects appear out of focus.
· Myopia (nearsightedness): Distant objects appear out of focus.
· Presbyopia: Objects that are up close gradually become blurred or out of focus with aging.
Symptoms and causes of refractive errors
Because refractive errors mainly result in blurred vision, symptoms include problems with focusing and seeing details at any distance – either up close, far away or both. Your eyes’ effort to compensate may also result in headaches, eyestrain, squinting and not reaching your full potential at school or work.
Refractive errors may occur due to a change in the eye’s shape, for example being when the eye is too short or too long. A person may also have a thicker or thinner lens than normal, or the eye’s surface may be naturally steeper or flatter. You may be at higher risk if you have family members diagnosed with a refractive error.
Solutions for refractive errors
The least invasive options to help get your vision into focus include being prescribed the correct spectacles or contact lenses by an experienced optometrist during a routine eye exam. Other solutions also include corneal-based corrective laser surgery or intraocular lens-based surgery.
Slow down your child’s Myopia
Myopia, or short-sightedness, is one of the most common refractive errors in children and can progress as they get older. If you’re a parent who is concerned about ways to slow down the progression of your child’s Myopia, here is some insight on two different myopia management strategies, namely MiYOSMART lenses and MiSight contact lenses.
The MiYOSMART spectacle lenses are perfect for active kids. This game-changing non-invasive innovation spectacle lens uses an award-winning D.I.M.S. (defocus incorporated multiple segments) technology which has been proven to slow down myopia progression in children. It's made from polycarbonate material with high impact resistance, is thin and offers 100% UV protection.
MiSight 1-day contact lenses have also been proven to slow down the progression of myopia. These contact lenses are child-friendly, soft and easy to use, while providing children with freedom from having to wear spectacles. Because it's daily disposable lenses, there's also no need to clean or store them.
Make lifestyle changes to slow down and improve your eyesight.
Research shows that spending at least 2 hours or more outdoors may reduce the risk of myopia onset and its progression.
Reduce eye strain by following the 20 – 20 – 20 rule. Give your eyes a break every 20 minutes to look at a distant object 20 feet (6 meters) away for 20 seconds.
Get your child’s eyes checked to ensure myopia or other vision problems are detected and treated early. Be conscious of your child’s tendency to hide or downplay their vision problems.
Contact us:
Talk to us about any vision problems you may be experiencing. Tomlinson Optometrists is a family-oriented behavioural optometry practice in Cape Town. We help you live your best life with clear sight, efficient vision and eye health through vision assessments, screenings and eye exams, behavioural optometry, vision therapy and dyslexia assessments.
· Book online https://www.eyecareportal.com/new_booking/1425.
· Contact us on tel 021 797 7291, WhatsApp 066 327 0560 or email kenilworth@visualcare.co.
