From £400 ALL INCLUSIVE OF TESTS
Myopia Control Clinic for Children In London
Control your child’s short sightedness at our Myopia Treatment & Management Clinic
Top London Surgeon
Trusted and highly recommended locally.
Local Consultation
Honest advice with no obligation to proceed.
Advanced Technology
The safest laser treatments available.
0% Finance
Interest-free monthly payments.
What is Myopia?
Myopia, also known as ‘shortsightedness’ or ‘near sightedness’, is when the eye grows too long, causing distant vision to become very blurry. Near vision remains sharp.
This means the light comes to a focus in front of the retina rather than on the retina so glasses or contact lenses are required to see sharply.
However, if the eyes continue to abnormally elongate, the retina is stretched over a greater length and the more the eye elongates the greater the risk of irreversible loss of vision later in life. This is why the control of myopia (shortsightedness) is very important during childhood. Myopia has become much more prominent among children to the point where it is now considered a pandemic. More children worldwide are becoming myopic and their myopia is more severe.
Anti-Myopia lifestyle
Regular daylight is key to slowing childhood myopia. move as much reading and screen time to outdoors as possible every day, not just weekends. Aim for 2+ hours of daylight cumulatively (e.g., a 30-minute walk to school plus homework in the garden); it’s daylight, not necessarily sunshine.
This habit supports eye health and also improves wellbeing and reduces anxiety. The My-iClinic team can help families build practical routines that increase outdoor time without giving up the activities kids enjoy.
Why is Myopia becoming more common?
In the last two or three generations we humans have moved our lives indoors. Our eyes now experience much lower levels of light and our gaze is more on close objects. In the past our vision would have been constantly alternating between near and far and most tasks were performed outdoors.
This change in how we live means that our eyes are predominantly experiencing prolonged uninterrupted close work indoors in abnormally low levels of light. In the natural world during daytime the outdoor light level usually is about 5000 to 100,000 lux (lux is the unit of light falling on an object).
Even on a dull winters day the level outdoors is never less than 1000 lux. Most domestic, office or school environments rarely exceed 700 lux. Additionally, light levels outdoors fluctuate second to second both in terms of intensity and composition while light levels indoors are static.
Myopia research
Myopia treatments?
It is not a question of finding a ‘cure’ for myopia, it is a question of allowing our future children to live in an environment that is close to nature, and natural light.
This allows your child’s eyes to naturally develop and stop the condition of myopia starting in the first place. Leave the eye alone and it will be perfect.
This concept is not only true for myopia but for many of the crises humanity is currently facing.
Mitigating your child's Myopia
Treatment options for myopia control
Myopia treatment we can provide with regular management in North London.
Atropine eye drops 0.01% & 0.05%
Low-dose atropine eye drops such as 0.01% and 0.05% are proven to be an effective treatment to slow down Myopia progression. Your child’s Myopia specialist will be able to assess which dose will be the right treatment for your child’s vision.
- Our 0.01% is best suited for children who have started to develop Myopia but the growth of their eyes are not rapidly progressing.
- Our 0.05% is a stronger concentration of treatment and may work better to slow or control Myopia progression if the stage of your child’s Myopia is rapidly progressing.
When coming for a private Myopia consultation with our Myopia specialist, they will decide which Atropine eye drops are best for your child’s eye health based on what level of risk is that your child’s Myopia will progress.
Myopia check-up & management appointment
After your child has been commenced on their anti myopia treatment including Atropine eye drops, it is very important that they attend a Myopia check-up at least every 6 months. Your child’s Myopia specialists will need to assess the effectiveness of the treatment and the health of your child’s eye.
Because Myopia is a chronic condition, it needs to be monitored carefully to prevent the eye from growing excessively. Some people think Myopia is a curable eye condition once they have their Atropine eye drops, but in some cases your child’s eyes may start rapidly growing too long.
A myopia check-up appointment is very important in order to be certain that the treatment is having the desired effect.
Other treatments your opticians can help with
Ortho-k contact lenses
Ortho-k contact lenses gently reshape the cornea and remodel the outermost layer of the cornea of your child’s eyes while they sleep. During the day the child has clear vision without any glasses. Not all prescriptions can be corrected with OrthoK but those children who successfully wear them love being free of glasses and also, tend to best controlled.
Anti-myopia glasses
MiYOSMART and Stellest glasses have been shown to slow the growth of children’s eyes. These glasses provide clear vision simultaneously at all viewing distances but have special adaptations to focus the peripheral retinal light differently. We recommend that wherever possible they child wears these instead of standard glasses.
Daytime contact lenses
Anti-myopia soft contact lenses worn daily are available and are effective in slowing down progression. Many children prefer to wear contact lenses for cosmetic and practical reasons.
Combination therapy
Research has shown that combining anti-myopia glasses or anti- myopia contact lenses with low dose Atropine is more effective than either options on their own. For this reason we always advocate combination therapy.
Repeated Red Light Therapy. (RLRL)
RLRL is a device which looks similar to a microscope into which the child looks. The device delivers a specific dose of red laser light to the macula. The treatment is for three minutes twice a day for five days a week and is usually continued for up to three years. We are researching the long term safety and efficacy of this modality and the initial data looks very promising.
Beware of lookalike copies
Because of the success of the first anti-myopia contact lenses and glasses other manufacturers have rushed to introduce their own versions. Most of these branded lookalikes have no research data supporting them so we do not know yet if they safe or effective. You can discuss these at your visit.
Have you noticed that your child has an existing or emerging eye condition?
What do children with Myopia experience?
The world feels different
Your child has gotten used to frequent changes in their glasses prescription. But headaches, eyestrain and squinting is not always the best quality of life, especially when children are growing, adapting and learning new things everyday.
When myopia develops, it can be difficult for children to understand their condition without appropriate guidance and treatment.
Experience of development
A child’s experience of learning, exploring the world and developing shouldn’t be hindered by the experience of glasses. Children with myopia can feel hopeless and frustrated when they believe they have little chance of removing their glasses.
For us, helping children understand that their myopia condition can be slowed down by lifestyle changes and available treatments will give them a chance to embrace their glasses without frequent prescription changes.
Booking your child’s Myopia consultation
If you think your child is ready for Myopia treatment, we can help. With our Atropine eye drops we can slow down the progression of your Myopia and manage your Atropine treatment to check the effectiveness and benefits for your child’s future vision.
Do you want a friendly information pack for your child to understand Myopia?
Are you above the age of 21?
Laser eye surgery
(ReLEX SMILE, LASIK, LASEK & PRK)
Plano 2025
By 2050, 4.9 billion people will be myopic, most of whom have not yet been born.
When they arrive in this world their eyes will contain the perfect algorithm for eye growth that evolved for millions of generations and has produced emmetropia (crisp clear vision).
But as soon as they arrive in the modern urbanized world this algorithm is corrupted by unnatural environmental inputs which causes the eye to continue to elongate, resulting in Myopia.
Plano 2025 is an organisation whose aim is that no child born after 2025 should become myopic. If we are diagnosing 10-year-olds with myopia in 2035 we have failed.
And it is not a question of finding a “cure” for myopia, it is a question of allowing our future children to live in an environment that is close to nature.
This will allow natural eye development and stop the development of myopia in the first place.
Leave the eye alone and it will be perfect. This concept is not only true for myopia but for many of the crises that the human race is currently facing.
Advanced Information On Myopia
Short-sightedness often progresses through school years, but the right plan can slow it down. Use the table below to compare proven options—from lifestyle habits and special spectacle lenses to contact lenses, overnight Ortho-K, and low-dose atropine; so we can tailor the safest, most effective approach for your child at My-iClinic.
Myopia in Children - Control Options at a Glance
Compare evidence-based treatments that slow myopia progression, plus daily habits that help. Your child’s plan is personalised after assessment.
Our Most Important FAQs About Myopia
Thinking about Myopia? It’s natural to have questions about what it can do for you. From vision improvements to advanced safety features, here are the key benefits and facts that will help you understand why more people than ever are choosing laser vision correction.
What is Myopia in children?
Myopia (nearsightedness) is a condition where the eye abnormally elongates. Myopia is a continual growth of the eyes axial length, which although cannot be cured, can rapidly progress into hyperopia. Lifestyle changes and atropine treatment is provided by our myopia specialist to slow down the progression of your child’s myopia.
What is the main cause of my child’s Myopia?
Myopia is caused by your child’s eyes growing too long. There can be many potential factors.
Can Myopia be completely cured?
Myopia is a chronic condition which means it cannot b e completely cured but it can be managed to reduce any negative symptoms your child is experiencing.
What treatment do you provide for Myopia?
We can provide 0.01 and 0.05% Atropine eye drops. These eye drops can be used in children to slow the rate of their eye growing (the progression of a child’s Myopia).
What is the best treatment for my child's Myopia?
Our specialists can advise a number of treatments which can help slow the progression of your Child Myopia. At My-iClinic we can personally provide you with Atropine eye drops which is a successful method of preventing the progression of the eye growing.
Can untreated Myopia eventually turn into blindness?
Myopia can cause some complications as the condition continues later in life. These conditions such as: Macular Degeneration, Retinal Detachments, Cataracts and/or Glaucoma, can cause a risk of blindness. Generally, the longer the eye progresses its growth, the greater the risk of complications over a person’s lifetime.
I’m an adult with Myopia (short sightedness). How can I treat my Myopia?
If you are over the age of 21, we can treat your short sightedness with our laser eye surgery procedures or with implantable contact lenses.
Which is the best treatment for my child's Myopia?
Can my child's Myopia get worse?
If left uncontrolled myopia increases. The risk of vision loss
increases exponentially with the length of the eye. So the earlier the treatment is started the lower the risk to vision during life.
Does Myopia worsen with age?
Increasing evidence is that Myopia can continue to worsen in adulthood. This is especially true if the axial length exceeds 26mm. Early treatment to keep the length of the eye less than 26mm is best.
How can I manage my child's Myopia?
The best management is to regularly visit your local opticians and maintain your Myopia check up appointments with their Myopia specialist.
Could my child's Myopia be genetic?
There are no genes for myopia, only genes for emmetropia (normal vision). Almost all myopia today is environmental. Myopia in families is almost always caused by the children inheriting their parents’ lifestyle. Some people have a genetic makeup that makes them more susceptible to a myopia stimulus but their genes do not cause their myopia.
There are genetic conditions associated with myopia but they are very rare.
Can I become legally blind from Myopia?
The risk of untreatable visual impairment due to myopia increases exponentially with the length of the eye. Any of the conditions associated with myopia, i.e. cataract, glaucoma, retinal detachment, macular degeneration, all can cause blindness.
How can I improve my short-sightedness?
There is currently no way to improve (reverse) shortsightedness. But you can prevent its worsening through:
- Reduction of digital screens.
- Avoiding reading or working indoors in dark surroundings.
- Regular interval breaks to relax eye muscles.