Role of Diet and Nutrition in Myopia

It is beyond doubt that the power of minus glasses increases in disability, illness and starvation. A balanced regular diet has its place in keeping the eyes healthy.

Most of us do know what a balanced diet is in theory but few put it into practice. Calcium and Vitamin D must be given as extra elements to all children with myopia. The ideal forms of Calcium and Vitamin Dare milk products, green vegetables, fish and eggs.

A balanced diet will not stop myopia from increasing but it will certainly slow down the rate of increase.

Why does myopia increase? What can the doctor do? What can the parents and patients do? Will regular wearing of spectacles arrest myopia? Will wearing glasses increase myopia? Will wearing glasses become a habit and therefore should be avoided? These are some questions asked by parents of myopic children and the answers to them are as follows:

1. There exists the erroneous notion that by wearing glasses the power of myopia does not increase. Some also feel that they can get rid of their glasses by wearing them regularly! Both ideas are incorrect. By wearing glasses regularly eye strain is minimized, but the eye length is anatomical and independent of this.

2. The increase in myopia is a natural process where the length of the eyeball increases. It is like increase in height and in length of hairs and nails. And there is nothing one can do to stop it. It takes a natural course. This natural} course has the following two forms:

Simple Myopia: In simple myopia, the spectacle power begins to set in by the age of 10-12 years and rises very gradually by 0.5. At puberty or adolescence, when the child gains height, the power jumps by -I, -2, or even more. This is the period when the parents may get alarmed. The process is natural and hereditary in 75 per cent of myopias.

The increase continues till the age of 20 to 25 and then stops on its own. The power rarely rises above -6 or -7. At the age of 35-40 it begins to come down by -0.5 or -1 and then stabilizes. If this person gets a cataract it may further reduce, depending on the type of cataract. At times it disappears altogether during old age and the person is blessed with a second sight without glasses. Ninety-five per cent of simple myopia improves with glasses.

High Myopia: The term high myopia is used to indicate myopia which sets in during early childhood, i.e. one or two years of age, and progresses very rapidly during adolescence. It touches high scales, -6, -7, -9, by 14 years of age. Its further progress is slow and steady till the age of 30 when it may reach marks as high as -10 or -20. Cases touching -15 or -20 are a small percentage but do occur. There are rare cases where even a power of -26 in both eyes may need to be prescribed.

In short, high myopia has inherent tendency to progress-beginning in early childhood and going up rapidly to the highest peak by the age of twenty. The two classes just described are scientifically accepted entities. The latter group needs constant care and observation from the specialist.