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Re: Advice to Student from “Natualpathic Optometrist” About Wearing Glasses
Adam wrote:
I have a student who is not able to read the board from the centre of the room. I asked if he had been prescribed glasses, and he said yes, but that his parents told him he couldn't wear them on a regular basis and so he had to sit in the front. His parents told me that they didn't want their son wearing the glasses regularly in class because their natualpathic optometrist told them that his vision would get worse if he wore them and better if he didn't wear them. My understanding is that this is a myth based on a change in perception, but I've also heard of other people being told this by their optometrists. Is there any credible evidence for this stance? Thank you.
Canadian Association of Optometrists's response:
Adam, Thank you for your question. First, it is difficult to answer since we don’t know all the real facts, but perhaps you could share some of this information with the family in question. I also must say I have never heard of a natualpathic optometrist. You are correct about the myth. Not wearing his glasses will not slow progression of myopia (near sightedness). There is no natural way to alleviate the development of myopia. If choices have to be made, since school is important to a child’s development, I would suggest that this child choose the classroom to wear his glasses. He could easily take them off to walk to and from school, while playing outside, while doing sports, and while at home. Squinting and struggling to see often results in headaches and may hinder his education. Children grow until they are in their mid 20s and during this growth phase, the eyeball will grow and cause myopia to increase. We have not found a way to stop this growth as yet. Many studies have been done on ways to reduce myopia, and you can read about them on this website: www.allaboutvision.com/parents/myopia.htm
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