Bradford academics in largest expert study on child myopia
The largest expert agreement on managing short-sightedness (commonly known as myopia) among children in the UK and Ireland has been produced with contributions by University of Bradford staff from the School of Optometry and Vision Sciences.
University of Bradford academic Dr Neema Ghorbani-Mojarrad, with collaborators from Moorfields Eye Hospital in London, organised and worked with a panel of 34 experts on myopia in the UK and Ireland to give their views on managing myopia progression among youngsters.
The panel featured eye care professionals, such as optometrists, ophthalmologists and researchers, who were either leading clinicians in myopia, or researchers with significant experience of myopia research to ensure the panel included scientists and clinicians and would be clinically relevant.
The paper process, launched in April 2023, involved the panel of experts taking part in two rounds of anonymous voting. The aim was to develop a consensus on myopia management based on evidence and experience.
The paper, ‘The 2024 UK and Ireland Modified Delphi Consensus on Myopia Management in Children and Young People’, generated 131 agreed statements, including “interventions should be discussed with parents/carers of all children and young people who develop myopia before they are aged 13”, and a recommendation for interventions to be publicly funded for those at risk of fast progression and high myopia.
Myopia is defined as a common eye condition where you cannot see objects far away clearly. It is usually corrected with glasses or contact lenses. A total of 50 per cent of the world’s population are predicted to be myopic by 2050, with 10 per cent of them having a high prescription over –5.00D.
A study published last month by the British Journal of Ophthalmology found one in three children are now short-sighted or unable to see things in the distance clearly. The study included analysis of more than five million children and teenagers from 50 countries across all six continents.
Myopia management
Myopia can lead to requiring vision correction for life, restricting them from joining some jobs that have visual requirements such as the Armed Forces, but additionally it puts someone at an increased risk of developing sight-threatening eye conditions including retinal detachment, glaucoma and cataracts in later life, with that risk increasing with the amount of myopia. This would put great financial and capacity-related pressure on healthcare providers like the NHS. The panel endorsed the consideration of hobbies and lifestyle of youngsters when discussing the best way to intervene in a child’s myopia, as lifestyle changes such as spending time outdoors may delay the onset of the condition.
The paper also recommended additional training for all eye care professionals should be available from non-commercial sources.
The panel advocated that a discussion on myopia management should be held with parents as soon as children develop myopia.
The paper concluded that further research is needed to find out how to identify those at greatest risk of becoming more myopic, as well as when to discontinue a treatment when myopia has stabilised.
A total of four University of Bradford academics from the School of Optometry & Vision Science (Faculty of Life Sciences) were involved in the paper: Dr Neema Ghorbani-Mojarrad, Associate Professor; Dr Matt Cufflin, Assistant Professor; Professor Edward Mallen, Professor in Physiological Optics; and Kathryn Webber, Clinical Teaching Fellow in Optometry.
Dr Ghorbani-Mojarrad, who helped organise the consensus, said: “This study consists of the largest UK and Ireland Delphi expert panel to be coordinated for the topic of myopia and myopia management.
“It included people from across all nations of the UK and Ireland, involving the input of both scientists, researchers, and seasoned eye care professionals to ensure a comprehensive range of opinions were captured.
“It is hoped that this study will help eye care practitioners and the ophthalmic industry across the UK and Ireland understand the thoughts and current recommendations of experts in the field of myopia from an evidence-led understanding, and what areas of uncertainty are still present.
We hope that this will act alongside current professional body guidance on myopia management to encourage and reassure eye care practitioners, and we aim to repeat this in the next few years as the field continues to progress at pace
The Myopia Management Clinic at the University of Bradford opened in 2016 in response to the increase in myopia found around the world, and the observed increase in myopia in children attending for sight tests locally. The Myopia Management Clinic is open to new patients, and has been featured previously in national news, with Kathryn Webber who established the clinic, winning the British Contact Lens Associations International Myopia Management Practitioner of the Year award in 2023.
Previous research by the team at the University of Bradford included looking into how myopia in young people can be treated and eye conditions associated with myopia minimised.