Where Parents Talk podcast host Lianne Castelino speaks to Dr. Debbie Jones, clinical professor and lead clinical scientist at the University of Waterloo about the myopia (nearsightedness) epidemic in kids and youth.
DR. DEBBIE JONES
Clinical Professor, School of Optometry and Vision Science
Lead clinical scientist, Centre for Ocular Research & Education
University of Waterloo
Mother of 2
“What we know with myopia is in just the same way as children grow, eyes grow, and eyes get longer, and it’s the lengthening of an eye that leads to needing a prescription. And children who start early needing a prescription for myopia tend to progress very quickly. They end up needing a very strong prescription, which again, you might think, well, the glasses are a little bit thicker — there are other consequences of having a high prescription such as poor, uncorrected vision.”