Prevenzione della miopia con MYAH Topcon Healthcare
Your MYAH now has a powerful new integrated tool that supports you in the management of myopia in children and facilitates communication with the parents.
Myopia is a disease of excessive axial elongation. Using the latest extensive data set on axial length based on thousands of children, collected by the Erasmus University Medical Center (Rotterdam, NL), it is possible not only to monitor the axial length but to compare the measurements with the reference growth curves and thus understand a child’s risk of adult myopia.
Most parents are familiar with the growth charts of their child’s height and weight. This tool is very useful for communicating with the parents of myopic children, in particular pre-myopics and low-level myopics, where it is necessary to predict the development of a deficit that is difficult to detect on the basis of the refraction error alone.
In-depth study of the initial assessment
Measurements of the axial length are easy to make, even in small children. The growth curves facilitate comparison of the measurements with the average for that age group and gender. Even a single measurement provides information about the risk of myopia and severe myopia in advanced age. This function allows you to establish a dialogue with the parents at the first visit, and provides further evidence in support of your clinical recommendations.
Evolution of axial length
Where measurements of axial length are available over a series of examinations, it is easy to assess the rate of its increase in untreated eyes. A positive trend that runs through the percentiles indicates an acceleration of axial lengthening and should be a cause for concern, particularly with regard to pre-myopic children. On the contrary, the effectiveness of a particular treatment for the myopia can be evaluated when the trend line slows and begins to drop in the percentiles over time. Regular assessments make it possible to monitor the situation closely and, if necessary, make adjustments to the strategy chosen. It is important to explain to the parents and children that a certain amount of axial elongation is normal as the child grows. No type of intervention will stop the eye from growing completely, but specialists now have a choice of options for effective management to reduce excessive elongation.