The childhood and preadolescence years should be a time for exploration and fun. Unfortunately, an increasingly urbanised lifestyle with the prevalent use of smartphones and computers from a young age is taking a toll on childrens’ eye health.
According to the National University Health System, myopia is the most common eye condition affecting children in Singapore today. More than half of children here develop myopia by the age of 12.
Says Mr Chew Wai Kwong, an optometrist at W Optics with over 28 years of experience: “We see children becoming myopic at a younger age. This is a worrying trend as impaired visual skills in the early developmental ages can affect how children learn and absorb what is happening around them.
“It also puts children at a higher risk of developing various eye complications such as glaucoma and macular degeneration in the later years of their lives.”
While having good eye habits such as regular screen breaks is crucial, taking proactive steps to manage myopia progression once it emerges is equally important.
Getting the right care
Managing childhood myopia begins with understanding the state of your child’s eye health.
As children may not be able to recognise or articulate impaired visual functioning, routine eye examinations are crucial from a young age and should be taken at least once every six months.
The earlier a child develops myopia, the faster his or her myopia may progress. Children are also more responsive to management of myopia when they are diagnosed in the early stages – hence, early intervention is key.
In particular, parents should keep an eye out for their children who are constantly squinting or going up close to the television screen.
The comprehensive eye examinations that your child needs are typically available at specialist clinics and hospitals. However, there are a handful of optometrists that offer such best-in-class services, including leading homegrown eyecare provider W Optics.
Adopting a dedicated service-centric approach favouring eye health instead of eye wear, W Optics offers customised vision care services according to the unique needs of each individual. As a specialist in myopia management in children, W Optics also provides eye examinations for children that are tailored according to their lifestyle and history of myopia progression.
The eye examination is conducted using sophisticated clinical diagnostic equipment – akin to those only found in hospitals or clinics, at any of their five conveniently located myopia management centres around Singapore. Once the assessment is complete, W Optics will be able to recommend the most suitable myopia management option, ranging from specially designed spectacles that control myopia progression to contact lenses suited for children.
The perfect lens to control myopia progression
Among the range of solutions that can improve your child’s myopia is the Essilor Stellest Lenses, a game-changing innovation to slow down myopia progression in children. Thanks to the H.A.L.T.1 technology, Essilor Stellest lenses has been known to slow down myopia progression by 67 per cent on average2, compared to single vision lenses, when worn for 12 hours a day.
Myopia is traditionally corrected with solutions such as standard spectacles and lenses. However, vision correction alone is often insufficient as control measures are needed to reduce the rate at which myopia worsens over time.
Essilor Stellest lenses are made of a cutting-edge constellation of 1,021 invisible3 lenslets. On top of bringing sharp vision as a standard single vision, this constellation creates a signal in the child eye, acting as a shield against eye elongation.
The lenses, which are available at all W Optics stores, can be paired with any eyewear at W Optics and come in a multitude of colours and fittings.
Early intervention is key
With the rise of digital technology, parents should be especially vigilant in monitoring their children's eye health. When it comes to myopia, it is all the more critical that parents do not adopt a wait-and-see approach.
Being the first retailer to pioneer the first mobile application for eyecare services, W Optics makes booking clinical-graded eye examinations even more accessible, hassle-free and without the fear of walk-in disappointment.
From now till April 2, 2023, book an eye examination at just $5 through W Optics’ all-in-one eyecare mobile application. Stand a chance to win a pair of Singapore Airlines Economy class return tickets to Seoul, South Korea, when you do so and double your chances when you purchase any Essilor optical lenses at W Optics stores.
Essilor optical lenses and professional eye examinations are available at all W Optics’ stores islandwide.
Make an appointment to find out more about the Essilor Stellest lenses or learn about other myopia management solutions available to you here.
1 Highly Aspherical Lenslet Target.
2 Compared to single vision lenses, when worn at least 12 hours a day. Two-year prospective, controlled, randomised, double-masked clinical trial results – 104 myopic children split in two groups: Single vision lenses (50) and Stellest™️ lenses (54) – Efficacy results are based on 32 children who declared wearing Stellest™️ lenses at least 12 hours per day every day – Eye Hospital of the Wenzhou Medical University - J. Bao, A. Yang, Y. Huang, X. Li, Y Pan, C. Ding, E. W. Lim, J Zheng, D. P. Spiegel, Y. L. Wong, B. Drobe, F. Lu, H. Chen.
3 Aesthetic finish.
