What is Myopia?

You have myopia if you can focus close to without help but you need glasses for driving, Watching TV or to read a blackboard. Your eyeballs are longer than normal so you cannot focus far away.

Why do I have Myopia?

Some families are more prone to myopia than others. If you have a family history of myopia and you do a lot of close work (like reading in bed) then your eyes will change thier shape and grow longer. They will get better at close work but will no longer be able to focus in the distance. Doing close work using your prescription distance glasses will tend to make myopia get worse.

What can I do about Myopia?

Use Trayner pinhole glasses (without your prescription lenses) to help you to focus farther away than you normally can for half an hour or more each evening before bed. For some this will be watching TV for others reading a book held farther away than you can usually focus. This will help to leave your eyes relaxed overnight. If you can use weaker than normal prescription glasses most of the day (ask for a reading prescription) your eyes will remain more relaxed more of the time, speeding their recovery.

ALWAYS WEAR YOUR PRESCRIPTION DISTANCE GLASSES WHILE DRIVING!

©Peter Duthie 2000

'Maggie Gold, 53, from West Hampstead, London, is a partner in a property development company and has been using the pinhole glasses for more than five years. Last year an optician told her that she no longer needed to wear spectacles as her eyesight has returned to a healthy 20/20 vision.' She says: "I began wearing the alternative glasses when I was doing close work or reading a book as my vision was blurring over. I already had short sightedness and astigmatism and had been wearing glasses for 20 years.''
Daily Mail (1/07/97) - 'Pinhole glasses put my eyesight back into focus'

Myopia Technical Briefing