Difference between revisions of Child Myopia

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Most parents new to the method have the first instinct to take away their child's correction and take away most of, if not all of, their favorite close-up activities.
Most parents new to the method have the first instinct to take away their child's correction and take away most of, if not all of, their favorite close-up activities.


Let's start with the desire to take away correction. Don't. If your child was just told they need glasses and they have never worn them before by all means hold off on introducing correction, you might even find with new [[habits]] they won't need correction, as long as you are working on their vision, it is not harmful to not rush into correction. But, if a child is already wearing correction they can't just stop. They need to learn to wear the correction only when needed and should never wear their full correction for near work. If their correction is stronger than -2 they will likely require [[differentials]] for near work. Ideally it is best to provide the correction for a greater distance than to have your child looking at things closer in order to eliminate that need for correction; because the closer they are to the object of focus the more strain there is on the eye. Always the goal should be to maximize their distance when in a situation of static viewing; such as reading, playing video games and computer work. The worst danger zone is under 50cms, as you can quickly surmise  this includes basically everything within arms reach for children. In actual application especially in school it might be difficult to introduce differentials, if your child is content to remove their glasses and is confident they can see well enough doing so for near work, this is most likely easier than having them switch throughout the school day. Remind them to be mindful of switching focus to prevent [[ciliary spasm]].  For those who cannot remove their correction but are still unlikely to switch correction in school it is even more important to have those good habits as well as a [[normalized]] correction that is only just sufficient to see the board to help minimize [[hyperopic defocus]].  Bifocals and multifocal lenses are not generally indicated, a bit on that [https://endmyopia.org/progressive-lenses-good-myopia-rehab/ from Jake here].  
Let's start with the desire to take away correction. Don't.
 
If your child was just told they need glasses and they have never worn them before by all means hold off on introducing correction, you might even find with new [[habits]] they won't need correction, as long as you are actively working on their vision, it is not harmful (or negligent) to not rush into correction. But instead, take some time to assess your child's vision for yourself, track trends in their vision, and introduce better vision habits; and only then introduce appropriate correction if still needed.
 
But, if a child is already wearing correction; they can't just stop. They need to learn to wear the correction only when needed and should never wear their full correction for near work. If their correction is stronger than -2 they will likely require [[differentials]] for near work. Ideally it is best to provide the correction for a greater distance than to have your child looking at things closer in order to eliminate that need for correction; because the closer they are to the object of focus the more strain there is on the eye. Always the goal should be to maximize their distance when in a situation of static viewing; such as reading, playing video games and computer work. The worst danger zone is under 50cms, as you can quickly surmise  this includes basically everything within arms' reach for children.
 
In actual application especially in school it might be difficult to introduce differentials, if your child is content to remove their glasses and is confident they can see well enough doing so for near work, this is most likely easier than having them switch throughout the school day. Remind them to be mindful of switching focus often, to prevent [[ciliary spasm]].  For those who cannot remove their correction but are still unlikely to switch correction in school it is even more important to have those good habits as well as a [[normalized]] correction that is only just sufficient to see the board to help minimize [[hyperopic defocus]].  Bifocals and multifocal lenses are not typically indicated, a bit on that [[mainendmyopiasite:progressive-lenses-good-myopia-rehab/|from Jake here]]. Also for application at school you might find [[Writing:I am a student, Help|this article]] useful.  


Now on to that other reflex reaction. If you take away all of your child's favorite and accustomed activities, they are not going to see your love for them in it. They are most likely going to hate the sudden onset of restrictions and feel like they are being punished for being myopic. While this is clearly not your intent, this is almost certainly how they will feel. Try to make gradual changes. Reducing time in extreme and static close up needs to be a priority; so anytime you can shift phone and/or tablet activities to a tv at a greater distance this will be progress. Many parents also use book stands to help increase and encourage consistent reading distance. Introduce the [[20-20-20 rule]] during close up right away, and as soon as possible [[differentials]] if/as needed for static close up. It is a good idea to start reducing the close work time itself where possible, but again keeping in mind how important it is that your child doesn't feel penalized for their myopia.  
Now on to that other reflex reaction. If you take away all of your child's favorite and accustomed activities, they are not going to see your love for them in it. They are most likely going to hate the sudden onset of restrictions and feel like they are being punished for being myopic. While this is clearly not your intent, this is almost certainly how they will feel. Try to make gradual changes. Reducing time in extreme and static close up needs to be a priority; so anytime you can shift phone and/or tablet activities to a tv at a greater distance this will be progress. Many parents also use book stands to help increase and encourage consistent reading distance. Introduce the [[20-20-20 rule]] during close up right away, and as soon as possible [[differentials]] if/as needed for static close up. It is a good idea to start reducing the close work time itself where possible, but again keeping in mind how important it is that your child doesn't feel penalized for their myopia.  
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[https://endmyopia.org/help-i-need-to-fix-my-childs-eyes-fast/?fbclid=IwAR07-YkAVQkUztoC_l3Fjd4CUCvkug6f6K3gm2xsQeGjgyKF2pZmCKoM04w Jake's take on looking for the quick fix to Child Myopia]
[https://endmyopia.org/help-i-need-to-fix-my-childs-eyes-fast/?fbclid=IwAR07-YkAVQkUztoC_l3Fjd4CUCvkug6f6K3gm2xsQeGjgyKF2pZmCKoM04w Jake's take on looking for the quick fix to Child Myopia]
[[Writing:I am a student, Help]]
   
   
==References==
==References==
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==A Final Note==
==A Final Note==
Obviously, there is the whole rest of the method to add to this, and if you need more help Jake has an add-on to the adult [[BackTo20/20]] program.
Obviously, there is the whole rest of the method to add to this, and if you need more help Jake has an add-on to the adult [[BackTo20/20]] program. Though there are other self guided courses as well. Absolutely start with the free primer found [https://courses.endmyopia.org/mentored-courses/?_gl=1*1gne67h*_gcl_au*MTUzMDc4MjI0LjE3MjE0MDU4NjI. here].