STV focus on Scotland’s only University Myopia Clinic

An STV News team visited Glasgow Caledonian University’s Vision Centre to find out more about the amazing work that goes on in Scotland’s only University Myopia Clinic.

One in five children in the UK suffer from myopia, or short-sightedness, which can affect a child’s quality of life, their ability to perform in school and sports, and their self-esteem.

The TV crew spoke to our Vision Science researchers and myopia experts Dr Stephanie Kearney and Dr Mhairi Day, who are keen to raise awareness among parents about the tell-tale signs of the eye condition and encourage them to get their children’s eyes tested.

They also interviewed some of the children who are referred to the clinic and their parents about their experiences, and delved into the research that is going on at the University.

Myopia, or short-sightedness, is where the length of the eye increases and distant objects appear blurred. Wearing spectacles or contact lenses makes vision clearer, but left without these it can affect a child’s ability to learn and play sports. Spectacles need to be made stronger until late teenage years and greater amounts of myopia can potentially could lead to eye diseases later in life.

The number of children with myopia has more than doubled in the last 50 years. It is estimated that almost half of the world will become myopic by 2050. Myopia is also occurring at a younger age, and those who develop myopia between 6 and 13 years are more likely to have high myopia as an adult.

Some of the myopia research includes looking into cost effectiveness of specialised spectacles that may slow how quickly myopia increases, the effectiveness of such specialised spectacles and contact lenses on myopia patients. They are also exploring natural light therapy as a new treatment for myopia in Scottish children.

Photo (left to right) – Dr Mhairi Day with her daughters Fia and Corrie, who have both attended the clinic, dad Michael Stewart and son Kyran, Lefteris Papanicolopulos with his parents, and Dr Stephanie Kearney, met in the Vision Centre for the STV News filming on campus.

Watch the STV News report here - https://news.stv.tv/v/experts-say-screen-time-could-be-leading-to-eye-problems.