Christos Tsoumplekas (Back again!) / Flickr
The World Health Organization (WHO) already speaks of myopia as a new pandemic, due to its growth among young people. But in Spain, a pioneering treatment is being born that gives hope in the fight against childhood myopia.
Researchers from the Pediatric Ophthalmology and Ocular Motility Unit at the San Carlos Clinical Hospital in Madrid led “a pioneering clinical trial” with promising results in the childhood myopia treatmentas announced by the institution itself in .
The preliminary results, which have already been evaluated by the Spanish Medicines Agency, reveal “a decreased speed of progression of this pathology in children and adolescents”, using this treatment.
The therapy being developed combines a medicine – diluted atropine eye drops – and lenses (glasses) with “a specific optical design for the control of myopia”, as stated by the Hospital.
This “combined treatment” allows “maintaining a clear vision in the center of the lens and a peripheral defocus that controls the progression of the eye, preventing axial enlargement of the eye”, explain the researchers.
“Increased ocular growth, or axial elongation, is associated with a increased risk developing eye diseases associated with myopia, which can cause irreversible visual impairment in adulthoodsuch as retinal detachment, or maculopathy”, notes ophthalmologist Noemí Güemes cited in the statement.
Combined treatment stops myopia progression
“Approximately 4 out of 10 patients managed to stop the axial progression of myopia with combined treatment”, adds the director of the Pediatric Ophthalmology Unit at San Carlos Hospital, Rosario Gómez de Liaño.
Children and young people with ages between 4 and 16 years oldwith myopia of between 1 and 6 diopters, and with up to 2 diopters of astigmatism.
A diopter is a unit of measurement used in optics to describe the power of a lens, or of an optical system, to prescribe and correct vision problems.
“Each diopter avoided reduces the risk by 40% of suffering associated pathologies in adulthood”, highlights Liaño.
On the contrary, “an increase of one diopter increases the risk of myopic maculopathy by 67% throughout life”, adds this person mentioned in the hospital statement.
WHO already talks about myopia as a new pandemic
These results are promising for combating a problem that affects millions of people around the world. But early detection and prevention remain essential.
A is an eye condition in which the person has difficulty in see distant objects clearlywhile you can see up close. It can be corrected with the use of glasses, contact lenses, or refractive surgery.
Genetic and environmental factorssuch as excessive and lack of exposure to natural light, contribute to the development of this health problem.
“There is increasing myopia at younger ages”analyzes Noemí Güemes, highlighting that she has noticed in hospital consultations that the condition “is developing and growing at a rapid rate faster than expected“.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has already referred to this progression of myopia, especially among younger people, as a pandemic, estimating that by 2050, between 40% and 52% of the world population suffer from this condition.
