Early intervention to control the progression of myopia in children

Hong Kong ranks among the regions with the highest prevalence of myopia globally. Data from the Department of Health indicates that approximately 18.3% of Hong Kong children develop myopia by age 6. By the time they graduate from primary school at age 12, 62% suffer from myopia. By university age, this figure rises to 90%. Therefore, early childhood myopia prevention is particularly crucial.

Hong Kong Vision Eye Center participated in the National Key R&D Program. The "Children's AI Myopia Control Program" has been validated in a cohort of 129,242 adolescents, achieving a prediction accuracy exceeding 80%, thereby providing valuable support for myopia early warning in youth.

: How Does This AI Platform Help Parents Control Children's Myopia?

The "Children's AI Myopia Control Program" aims to slow the progression of myopia in children. Since individuals with high myopia face a higher risk of developing eye diseases later in life, parents should educate their children early on to establish good eye care habits from a young age. This helps prevent children from becoming high myopia patients (600 degrees or above) as they grow older.

Generally speaking, the ideal progression rate for myopia in children is within 50 diopters per year. If a child's myopia increases by 100 diopters annually, this is considered rapid progression, and treatment should be considered.

Parents can accurately predict their children's future myopia progression through the "Children's Myopia Control AI Platform." This AI platform uses big data intelligent analysis to generate predictive results, enabling parents to monitor changes in their children's refractive errors at different ages based on the prediction report (which parents can consider a "refractive development profile").Ophthalmologists will also use the prediction report to provide parents with a detailed analysis of their child's current myopia status, comparing it to normal refractive development for the same age group, and develop a personalized myopia treatment plan.

Children's AI Myopia Control Program Details include:

What methods are available to control myopia in children?

	Low-concentration atropine eye drops	Defocusing Lenses (DIMS)	Orthokeratology Contact Lenses (OK Lenses)
Providing Unit	Ophthalmologist's Prescription	Optician Fitting	Optician Fitting
Research Unit	The Chinese University	The Hong Kong Polytechnic University	The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Principle	Slow down eye elongation	Optical defocus, suppressing eye length	Wearing at night exerts pressure on the cornea. Alter the state of the cornea to reduce myopia
Suitable for ages	From age 3 until full development	Ages 6 and up	Ages 8 and up
Suitable for prescription strength	Any prescription	Myopia not exceeding 650 degrees Astigmatism not exceeding 400 degrees	Myopia not exceeding 600 degrees
Benefits	One drop every night—convenient to use. No preservatives, minimal side effects Individually wrapped for safety and hygiene	No need to wear contact lenses	No need to wear glasses during the day.
Side Effects/Disadvantages	Minimal side effects	It may only be used as an adjunctive therapy. Not a first-line treatment	More difficult to fit for children Unconsciously rubbing one's eyes while sleeping. May cause corneal damage or infection
Effect	Slow down within one year 67% myopia	Slow down within 2 years 52% myopia	Slow down the eyeball Extended by 43%