WA Eye Care
Myopia series / 01 of 06

Myopia control: slowing how fast the eye grows

Why short-sightedness is an eye-length problem.

  1. 01Myopia control: slowing how fast the eye grows
  2. 02Why does the eye keep growing?
  3. 03Treatments, part 1: drops and light
  4. 04Treatments, part 2: lenses
  5. 05Myopia control, the Perth way
  6. 06How do we know it’s working?

Short-sightedness happens because the eye grows too long

Part 01 · 01
A normal eye focuses light on the retina; a longer myopic eye focuses it in front of the retina.
Fig 1.1Normal vs myopic eye
  1. 01

    The eye grows longer than it should

    Light now focuses in front of the retina.

  2. 02

    Glasses fix the blur, not the growth

    Without control, the eye keeps lengthening through childhood.

  3. 03

    Eye length is what we measure

    It tells us more than the glasses prescription alone.

Why eye length matters for life

Part 01 · 02
Chart: lifetime risk of retinal detachment, glaucoma and myopic maculopathy rises steeply as axial length increases.
Fig 1.2Lifetime risk vs eye length
  1. 01

    Longer eyes carry more risk later

    Retinal detachment, glaucoma and myopic maculopathy.

  2. 02

    Risk climbs with every extra millimetre

    Even small reductions in growth add up over a lifetime.

  3. 03

    Childhood is when it counts

    Most eye growth happens before the late teens.

In summary

Part 01
  1. 01Myopia is caused by the eye growing too long.
  2. 02Glasses correct blur but don’t slow growth.
  3. 03Longer eyes carry higher lifelong eye-health risk.
← OverviewMyopia controlPart 02 →Why it grows
Myopia / Mt Hawthorn

Book a myopia assessment.

Child getting more short-sighted each year? We measure eye length to see how fast their eyes are growing.

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General information only, not personal advice. Every child is different. Treatment is decided after a full eye examination.

WA Eye Care · Room 3, 103 Scarborough Beach Road, Mt Hawthorn WA 601608 6288 4218 · info@waeyecare.com.au