Argumentative Essay On Myopia

The University of Houston’s College of Optometry is leading the charge in the fight against myopia, with several studies aimed at discovering how to fully stop the progression of the condition in children — a problem that can lead to permanent blindness.

Myopia exists when the eye grows too long on its axial length, Smith said, so light from a faraway object focuses in front of the retina, rather than on it. This causes objects at large distances to look blurry.

The myopia epidemic is likely caused by intense educational practices and lack of time outside for children. Sitting indoors, reading and studying for long hours does not give the eye enough variety in distance or exposure to sunlight. Everything inside is close to the eye, Smith said, while

Berntsen explained that each child is randomly assigned one of three kinds of contact lenses. The control lens is one that is normally prescribed to correct myopia. The other two are bifocals with varying degrees of plus-power in the periphery of the lens focusing the light sooner at the edges, controlling eye growth according to the findings of Smith’s research. The peripheral light is then focused in front of the retina, which sends a signal to the eye to slow growth.

Traditional lenses give the wearer clear central vision, but peripheral light focuses behind the retina, which may stimulate the eye to grow longer, which exacerbates myopia, Berntsen.

Corrective lenses are the standard of care for treating myopia, Berntsen said, so there are no studies comparing myopic progression with lenses versus no lenses. There are studies that have found that peripheral light focused behind the retina — like with traditional spectacles — is associated with faster progression than when peripheral light is focused in front of the retina, like with Berntsen’s bifocal