MYOPIA · THE MYOPIA CLINIC AT CONCORD EYECARE
Your child is short-sighted.
Now what?
Myopia isn't just "needing glasses." It's a progressive condition we can actively slow — with evidence-based treatments, starting now.
MYOPIA BASICS
A longer eyeball, not just a weaker eye.
Myopia is short-sightedness. It happens when the eye grows slightly too long from front to back, so light focuses just in front of the retina instead of on it. Close objects stay clear. Distant ones look blurry. That extra length is the part that matters — because it's progressive, and it's what we can slow down.
Here's the simple analogy we use across the consultation desk: imagine a camera where the lens is stuck at a fixed point but the body keeps stretching backwards. The image lands behind where it should. Glasses compensate by bending the light — they don't shorten the eye.
This is why two children with the same prescription can have very different long-term outlooks. The one whose eye is still elongating needs active management. The one whose eye has stabilised just needs good glasses.
MYOPIA VS “JUST NEEDING GLASSES”
The progression is the real problem.
Glasses correct vision. They don't stop myopia from getting worse. An untreated short-sighted child typically progresses by around -0.50 to -1.00 dioptres per year through primary school — meaning stronger prescriptions every 6 to 12 months, and a higher final prescription that carries real eye-health risk in adulthood.
If your child's prescription jumps from -1.00 to -2.00 between Year 3 and Year 5, standard glasses kept vision clear but didn't slow anything down. That matters because the final level of myopia a child reaches is what determines their lifetime risk of serious eye disease — not whether they can see the whiteboard today.
This is the shift most parents don't hear about at a standard eye test. Myopia control isn't about "stronger glasses earlier." It's a different class of treatment — designed to slow the eye's elongation itself. We explain the four main options further down this page.
MYOPIA LONG-TERM HEALTH RISKS
It's not just about sight. It's about eye health at 50.
Higher levels of myopia significantly increase the lifetime risk of several serious eye conditions. This is the strongest argument for starting myopia control early — the goal is to keep the final prescription as low as possible.
Myopic maculopathy
Damage to the central retina from eye-length stretching. The leading cause of permanent vision loss in high myopes and largely untreatable once established.
Retinal detachment
The stretched retina can tear or separate. An emergency when it happens — and dramatically more likely as myopia increases.
Glaucoma
A progressive optic nerve disease. Myopic eyes are more susceptible, and glaucoma often develops silently until significant vision loss has occurred.
Cataract (earlier onset)
Myopic eyes tend to develop clouding of the natural lens earlier and more aggressively than non-myopic eyes.
MYOPIA RISK FACTORS IN CHILDREN
It's part genes, part lifestyle.
Myopia doesn't have a single cause. It's the interaction of what your child was born with and how their eyes are used every day. Some factors you can't change — but some you can.
One myopic parent roughly triples the risk. Two myopic parents increase it by six-fold (Mutti et al., 2002).
East Asian children have the highest prevalence, though rates are climbing across all ethnic groups.
A child who becomes myopic before age 9 is likely to reach a much higher final prescription without intervention.
Less than 2 hours of outdoor time per day significantly increases myopia risk. Natural light appears to be protective.
Prolonged reading or screen use at close range, without breaks, is associated with faster progression.
Reading closer than 30 cm for long periods places sustained strain on the focusing system.
MYOPIA: AGE OF ONSET AND PROGRESSION
The earlier it starts, the more it matters.
No, children do not grow out of myopia. Once the eye has elongated, it doesn't shorten back. Progression usually slows by late teens and most people stabilise by their early twenties — but around 20% continue to progress into their late twenties (Polling et al., 2021).
Uncommon — investigate closely
Myopia before school age is unusual and warrants thorough assessment. Children this young can be thoroughly tested without reading letters.
Fastest progression window
Children who become myopic in early primary school progress fastest and reach the highest final prescriptions. Starting control here gives you the biggest long-term impact.
Still actively progressing
Most children progress throughout late primary and early high school. Myopia control remains highly effective in this window.
Progression slows, doesn't stop
Rate of progression usually eases but continues for most teenagers. Still worth treating — every dioptre of final myopia matters.
Most stabilise, some don't
Around 80% of young adults are stable. The remainder continue progressing into their mid-twenties, particularly those with intensive near-work (university students, office workers).
THE PROGRESSION GAP
See what two dioptres looks like over seven years.
The single clearest way to understand why myopia control matters is to visualise the gap. Drag the sliders to see how your child's age and current prescription shape the projected outcome — with and without evidence-based treatment.
Illustrative estimate only — not a prediction of your child's outcome
This is an educational visualisation based on published population averages. Individual progression varies significantly with genetics, ethnicity, family history, axial length, and lifestyle. A clinical consultation — including axial length measurement, refraction, and corneal topography — is what gives a real answer for your child.
Myopia Progression Estimator
Adjust the sliders to see the projected outcome at age 16.
Methodology: Age-stratified untreated progression rates based on Brennan, Toubouti, Cheng & Bullimore 2021 meta-analysis (Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci). Treated projection applies a 50% reduction — the approximate real-world average across evidence-based myopia control treatments. Model projects to age 16. Individual efficacy varies by treatment type, compliance, and child-specific factors.
MYOPIA CONTROL TREATMENT OPTIONS
Yes — and the evidence is strong.
There are four evidence-based myopia control treatments. We fit and prescribe all of them, and the right choice depends on your child's prescription, lifestyle, and comfort with contacts, glasses or eye drops.
| Treatment | How it works | Efficacy | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ortho-K Read more → |
Custom lenses worn overnight. Reshape the cornea while sleeping. Clear daytime vision with no glasses. | Up to 60% slowing (Chen, 2013) |
Active kids, sport-heavy, parents who want "no daytime anything" |
| MiyoSmart Read more → |
Specialised glasses with DIMS technology. Worn all day. Correct vision and slow progression simultaneously. | ~60% slowing (HOYA, 2020) |
Children who aren't ready for contacts or drops. Requires 12+ hours/day wear. |
| MiSight Read more → |
Daily disposable soft contact lenses designed for children. Worn during the day, thrown out nightly. | 59% slowing (CooperVision FDA, 2019) |
Kids 8+ happy with contacts. No overnight wear. Less commitment than Ortho-K. |
| Atropine drops Read more → |
Low-dose eye drops used nightly. Can be used on its own or combined with another treatment. | 50–70% slowing (dose-dependent, Yam et al., 2020) |
Younger children, fast progressors, combination treatment with Ortho-K or MiyoSmart. |
All four treatments are reversible. None are "locked in" — we review at every visit and adjust the approach if your child's needs change.
MEASURING MYOPIA PROGRESSION
We measure eye length, not just prescription.
Most optometrists only check refraction — the prescription number. We add axial length measurement: how long the eye actually is, measured in millimetres using the Myopia Master biometer. This is the single most sensitive indicator of whether myopia control is working.
A child whose prescription looks "stable" at -2.00 across two visits might still have an eye that's quietly lengthening. Axial length catches that before it shows up as a prescription change. It's also how international myopia research actually tracks progression — and it's how we know whether a treatment is doing its job.
From Dr Nikki, Dr Vivian and Dr Mark
"The children who do best with myopia control are almost always the ones we see within six months of their first myopic prescription. By the time a child has progressed from -0.50 to -2.00 over two years, we've missed the window when progression is fastest — and that's the window where intervention changes the long-term outcome most. If your child has just been told they're short-sighted, don't wait for it to 'settle in' before acting."
At each myopia control consultation visit we track refraction, axial length, corneal topography, and binocular function — and compare against international age-matched growth curves. You'll see the data yourself at every review.
SLOWING MYOPIA AT HOME
Four rules backed by evidence.
Two hours outdoors, daily
Natural light is protective. Children who spend 2+ hours a day outdoors have lower rates of developing myopia and slower progression once they have it. It's the brightness, not the activity — so even the walk to school counts.
Two hours screen time, maximum
Leisure screen time (outside of schoolwork) capped at under 2 hours a day for school-aged children. This is the WHO guideline and the one most families find hardest — but closer to 1 hour is better if you can manage it.
The elbow rule
Books and screens held no closer than an elbow-to-hand distance from the eyes. Easy test: make a fist, put it next to your eye — your elbow is the minimum reading distance. Closer than that speeds progression.
The 20/20 rule
Every 20 minutes of near work, take a 20-second break and look across the room. A natural pause between book chapters or Netflix episodes works well. Longer breaks of 5 minutes every hour may be even more effective.
These are the four rules from Myopia Profile — an evidence-based framework developed by Drs Kate and Paul Gifford. None of them replace clinical treatment for a child who's already myopic, but they support every treatment path and they're where we start with every family.
MYOPIA FAQS
The questions parents ask us most often.
What's the difference between myopia and short-sightedness?
They're the same condition. "Short-sightedness" is the everyday Australian term; "myopia" is the clinical one. Both describe an eye where distant vision is blurry and close vision is clear.
Is -1.50 a high prescription for a 7-year-old?
It's moderate, but what matters most is how fast it's changing. A 7-year-old at -1.50 who was -0.50 last year is progressing quickly and should be assessed for myopia control. A stable -1.50 is less urgent — but still worth monitoring with axial length measurements.
Can my child grow out of myopia?
No. Once the eye has elongated, it doesn't shorten back. Progression usually slows by late teens and most people stabilise in their early twenties, but the structural change is permanent. That's why acting early matters.
Do carrots or eye exercises help?
There's no evidence that diet, vitamin supplements, or eye exercises slow myopia. The four treatments with strong research support are Ortho-K, MiyoSmart, MiSight, and low-dose atropine. We're happy to show you the evidence for each.
Does screen time cause myopia?
The evidence points more strongly to insufficient outdoor time than to screens specifically. That said, prolonged close-range reading — on any device or on paper — is associated with faster progression. Breaks and distance matter more than the screen itself.
How often should my child's eyes be checked?
If your child has been flagged as short-sighted or is at high risk (family history, early onset), we recommend a full review every 6 months. A stable non-myopic child is fine with annual checks. All children should have a first full eye test around age 4.
What's the difference between standard glasses and myopia control glasses?
Standard glasses correct vision but don't slow eye elongation. Myopia control lenses like MiyoSmart use specialised optics to both correct vision and slow progression, backed by clinical research showing up to ~60% slowing.
Do I need a GP referral to see you?
No referral needed for any of our myopia consults. All three of our optometrists are therapeutically endorsed, meaning we can prescribe atropine eye drops directly where appropriate — no second appointment, no GP visit in between.
CLINICAL REFERENCES
Research behind everything on this page.
- Holden BA, Fricke TR, Wilson DA, et al. Global Prevalence of Myopia and High Myopia and Temporal Trends from 2000 through 2050. Ophthalmology. 2016;123(5):1036-1042.
- Bullimore MA, Brennan NA. Myopia Control: Why Each Diopter Matters. Optom Vis Sci. 2019;96(6):463-465.
- French AN, Morgan IG, Mitchell P, Rose KA. Risk factors for incident myopia in Australian schoolchildren: the Sydney Adolescent Vascular and Eye Study. Ophthalmology. 2013;120(10):2100-2108.
- Mutti DO, Mitchell GL, Moeschberger ML, et al. Parental myopia, near work, school achievement, and children's refractive error. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2002;43(12):3633-3640.
- Polling JR, Klaver C, Tideman JW. Myopia progression from wearing first glasses to adult age: the DREAM Study. Br J Ophthalmol. 2022;106(6):820-824.
- Chen C, Cheung SW, Cho P. Myopia control using toric orthokeratology (TO-SEE study). Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2013;54(10):6510-6517.
- Lam CSY, Tang WC, Tse DY-Y, et al. Defocus Incorporated Multiple Segments (DIMS) spectacle lenses slow myopia progression: a 2-year randomised clinical trial. Br J Ophthalmol. 2020;104(3):363-368.
- Chamberlain P, Peixoto-de-Matos SC, Logan NS, et al. A 3-year randomized clinical trial of MiSight lenses for myopia control. Optom Vis Sci. 2019;96(8):556-567.
- Yam JC, Li FF, Zhang X, et al. Two-Year Clinical Trial of the Low-Concentration Atropine for Myopia Progression (LAMP) Study. Ophthalmology. 2020;127(7):910-919.
- Haarman AEG, Enthoven CA, Tideman JWL, et al. The Complications of Myopia: A Review and Meta-Analysis. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2020;61(4):49.
- World Health Organization. Guidelines on Physical Activity, Sedentary Behaviour and Sleep for Children Under 5 Years of Age. 2019.
- Brennan NA, Toubouti YM, Cheng X, Bullimore MA. Efficacy in myopia control. Prog Retin Eye Res. 2021;83:100923.
- Gifford KL, Richdale K, Kang P, et al. IMI – Clinical Management Guidelines Report. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2019;60(3):M184-M203.
Last clinically reviewed: April 2026.
BOOK YOUR MYOPIA CONSULTATION
If your child is short-sighted,
now is when it matters.
A 30-minute myopia consultation gives you the measurements, the options, and a clear plan — whether you proceed with treatment or not. No GP referral needed. Appointments Monday to Saturday.