Myopia Management for Children in Lytham
Slow Your Child's Short-Sightedness
Myopia — short-sightedness — is a growing epidemic among children in the UK. At Thompson & Hardwick in Lytham, we offer proven treatments to slow the progression and protect your child's long-term eye health.
50%
of the world's population predicted to be myopic by 2050
2x
increase in UK children with myopia over the past 50 years
6-12
the key age window for most effective myopia intervention
Myopia, commonly known as short-sightedness, is a refractive error where the eye is slightly too long, causing distant objects to appear blurred while close-up vision remains clear. It typically develops in childhood and tends to worsen throughout the teenage years before stabilising in early adulthood.
For most parents, discovering their child needs glasses comes as a manageable inconvenience. What is less well understood is that myopia is not just a refractive inconvenience, it is a structural change to the eye that carries serious long-term risks. The longer the eye grows, the greater the lifetime risk of conditions including retinal detachment, myopic macular degeneration, glaucoma, and early cataract. These risks increase dramatically in people with high myopia (typically above -6.00 dioptres), making it critically important to slow progression before it reaches that threshold.
Why early onset matters
Children who become myopic younger tend to progress faster and reach higher prescriptions. Research shows that around 65% of children who first become myopic between ages 8 and 9 will develop high myopia by adulthood — compared to just 7% of those whose myopia begins after age 11. This is why early assessment and intervention are so important.
Myopia management is the term for evidence-based treatments that slow the rate at which myopia progresses. It does not reverse existing short-sightedness, but it can significantly limit how much worse it becomes — and in doing so, substantially reduce your child's risk of serious eye disease in adult life.
UNDERSTANDING SHORT-SIGHTEDNESS
What is myopia — and why does it matter beyond needing glasses?
Myopia, commonly known as short-sightedness, is a refractive error where the eye is slightly too long, causing distant objects to appear blurred while close-up vision remains clear. It typically develops in childhood and tends to worsen throughout the teenage years before stabilising in early adulthood.
For most parents, discovering their child needs glasses comes as a manageable inconvenience. What is less well understood is that myopia is not just a refractive inconvenience — it is a structural change to the eye that carries serious long-term risks. The longer the eye grows, the greater the lifetime risk of conditions including retinal detachment, myopic macular degeneration, glaucoma, and early cataract. These risks increase dramatically in people with high myopia (typically above -6.00 dioptres), making it critically important to slow progression before it reaches that threshold.
We offer axial length measurement
Thompson & Hardwick provide axial length measurement as a core part of our myopia management programme. By tracking eye length at each review — typically every six months — we can precisely assess whether treatment is working and adjust our approach if needed. This data-driven approach means your child receives genuinely personalised care, not a one-size-fits-all protocol.
EVIDENCE-BASED OPTIONS
Myopia management techniques — what are the options?
There is no single best treatment for every child. The right approach depends on age, prescription, rate of progression, lifestyle, and personal preference. Below are the main evidence-based options we work with at Thompson & Hardwick.
1. MOST EFFECTIVE
Orthokeratology (Ortho-K)
Specially designed rigid contact lenses worn overnight that gently reshape the corneal surface while the child sleeps. By morning the lenses are removed, leaving the child with clear, unaided vision throughout the day — no glasses or daytime lenses needed. Ortho-K works by creating peripheral myopic defocus across the retina, which signals the eye to slow its growth. It is particularly well suited to active children and those involved in sports.
Axial length reduction: ~0.24 mm over 2 years (vs control)
2.
MiSight 1 Day Contact Lenses
Daily disposable soft contact lenses specifically designed for myopia control in children aged 8 and above. MiSight lenses use a dual-focus optical design — a central zone to correct distance vision and concentric treatment zones that create peripheral defocus to slow eye growth. They are among the most extensively clinically studied myopia control contact lenses available, with long-term trial data now spanning six years.
Prescription slowed by: up to 71% over 6 years (MiSight 6-year data)
3.
DIMS & HAL Spectacle Lenses
A new generation of spectacle lenses designed specifically for myopia control. Defocus Incorporated Multiple Segments (DIMS, e.g. Hoya MiYOSMART) and Highly Aspherical Lenslet (HAL, e.g. Essilor Stellest) lenses use arrays of micro-lenses to create peripheral myopic defocus while providing clear central vision. These are an excellent first-line option for younger children or those not yet ready for contact lenses, and carry no lens insertion and removal burden on parents.
Axial length reduction: up to 0.35 mm over 2 years (HAL data)
4.
Low-Dose Atropine Eye Drops
Atropine, a muscarinic antagonist, has been used for myopia control for over a century. At low concentrations (0.01%–0.05%), it significantly reduces the rate of myopia progression with minimal side effects compared to higher concentrations. Low-dose atropine is often used as a complementary treatment alongside optical myopia control methods. The combination of orthokeratology and low-dose atropine currently shows among the strongest evidence for slowing axial elongation.
Axial length reduction: ~0.21 mm over 2 years (0.05% atropine)
5.
Multifocal Soft Contact Lenses
Standard multifocal soft contact lenses (such as Biofinity +2.50D) have been shown in clinical trials to slow myopia progression in children. These use centre-distance optics to reduce the accommodative lag thought to drive axial elongation. They represent an accessible option when purpose-designed myopia control lenses are not appropriate, though they typically show somewhat lower efficacy than orthokeratology or MiSight.
Axial length reduction: ~0.24 mm over 2 years
6.
Combination Therapy
The most powerful approach currently supported by clinical evidence is the combination of orthokeratology lenses with low-dose atropine (0.01%). Multiple randomised trials confirm that this combination significantly outperforms either treatment alone, with axial elongation in the combination group as low as 0.12 mm over two years in some trials. We discuss combination therapy with families where rapid progression is identified through serial axial length measurements.
Axial elongation: as low as 0.12 mm over 2 years (combination data)
Myopia Management solutions available at Thompson & Hardwick Optometrists
Ortho-Keratology
Hoya MyoSmart Lenses
Soft Myopia Lenses
DAYTIME VISION
Glasses free ALL day
Suitable for
Active children, Sports
Efficacy (Axial Length)
Best age to commence treatment
8+
Efficacy (Axial Length)
DAYTIME VISION
Glasses free ALL day
Suitable for
Active children, Sports , Rapid progressors, High risk
Best age to commence treatment
8+
Efficacy (Axial Length)
DAYTIME VISION
Lenses worn daily
Suitable for
Active children, Sports, NOT for Swimming, overnight kens averse
Best age to commence treatment
8+
Efficacy (Axial Length)
DAYTIME VISION
Spectacles worn ALL day
Suitable for
Younger children, Contact lens averse
Best age to commence treatment
6+
Efficacy (Axial Length)
DAYTIME VISION
Normal glasses/contact lenses
Suitable for
Add-on treatment or standalone
Best age to commence treatment
6+
Efficacy (Axial Length)
DAYTIME VISION
Normal Spectacles/lenses worn ALL day
Suitable for
Vision correction (No myopia control)
Best age to commence treatment
0+
LIFESTYLE & ENVIRONMENT
The role of outdoor time and lifestyle in myopia control.
Alongside clinical treatment, lifestyle factors play a meaningful role in both the onset and progression of myopia. The strongest lifestyle evidence surrounds outdoor time — research consistently shows that children who spend more time outdoors develop myopia later and progress more slowly.
The mechanism is thought to be related to natural light intensity and its effect on dopamine release in the retina, which inhibits axial elongation. The type of outdoor activity matters less than simply being outside in natural daylight.
Near work — reading, screens, and close visual tasks — is also associated with faster progression, though the relationship is more complex than simply "too much screen time."
Lifestyle recommendation for myopic children
Aim for a minimum of 90 minutes outdoors each day in natural daylight
Take regular breaks from near tasks — the 20-20-20 rule (every 20 minutes, look 20 feet away for 20 seconds)
Hold reading material and screens at a proper distance (at least 30–40 cm)
Avoid reading in very dim light
Avoid prolonged near tasks immediately before bed
Attend regular myopia monitoring appointments every 6 months
OUR PROGRAMME
What to expect from our myopia Management programme
Our approach is built around three things: accurate measurement, personalised treatment, and consistent long-term monitoring. Here is how we work with families:
Initial myopia assessment
A thorough assessment of your child's current prescription, corneal topography, and crucially, their axial length. We establish a baseline from which all future progress is measured.
Personalised treatment recommendation
Based on your child's age, prescription, axial length, lifestyle, and your family's preferences, we recommend the most appropriate treatment approach and discuss the options with you in plain language.
Six-monthly monitoring
We review your child's axial length and prescription every six months to assess progress, identify any need to adjust treatment, and track long-term outcomes.
Flexible as needs change
As children grow and their eyes change, their treatment may need to evolve. We manage this proactively rather than reactively.