A TAUNTON mum is raising awareness about growing rates of myopia in young children, after her two-year-old daughter received specialist treatment.

Verity Chancellor took her daughter to Musgrove Park Hospital to have her eyes examined when she was just one year old after suspecting she had a lazy eye.

The little girl was diagnosed with myopia, which is unusual at such a young age because it’s not normally seen in children until after age six.

Verity's daughterVerity's daughter (Image: Specsavers)

She has now received state-of-the-art lenses from the Specsavers Taunton store, with the aim of radically slowing down progress of the myopia.

The specialised lenses, which have only been supplied by Specsavers since last year, work with light by sending it to the eye in a way that reduces the lengthening of the eyeball, slowing the increase of myopia.

This comes as a recent report by the British Journal of Ophthalmology said that children's eyesight is steadily worsening, with one in three now being short-sighted or unable to see things in the distance clearly.

The report goes on to say that by 2050, 40 per cent of children will have myopia.

Verity said: ‘We were told that there’s no research been done into myopia for children so young.

"What they do know, though, is that with myopia in children, it’s about catching it early so that preventative measures can be taken.

“If it hadn’t been diagnosed early, it could have got much worse by the time she starts school.

“Specsavers have been brilliant with her, from choosing the frames to explaining the lenses and fitting or fixing along the way.

"I think that's contributed to her confidence in wearing them.”

The British Journal of Ophthalmology report shows that short-sightedness tripled between 1990-2023, with the increase being ‘particularly notable’ after the Covid pandemic.

Myopia usually starts during primary school years and tends to worsen until the eye has stopped growing, at about 20 years of age.

Damien Reavey, optical director at the Specsavers Taunton store, said: “I’m delighted that this new lens is working well for Verity’s daughter.

"Managing progressive myopia in children early on can help avoid serious vision issues later in life, so these lenses are specially designed to help slow the progression of myopia in children of any age, giving them clear, comfortable vision at the same time."

For further information or to book an appointment, call Taunton Specsavers on 01823 259416 or go online at www.specsavers.co.uk/stores/taunton.