The MiYOSMART iQ is the newest version of HOYA's globally recognised myopia control spectacle lens. While the original MiYOSMART lens remains an excellent choice, this next-generation design has been engineered to deliver even more impressive clinical results.

In a recent clinical trial, the MiYOSMART iQ stopped clinically relevant myopia progression for 9 out of 10 children over their first year of wear. Furthermore, it has been reported to successfully control progression in children as young as four years of age.

Like its predecessor, the MiYOSMART iQ looks just like a normal single-vision lens, but it utilizes Defocus Incorporated Multiple Segments (D.I.M.S.) technology. However, it refines this with a Triple Enhanced Design (TED) to maximize effectiveness:

• Activated: The defocus segments have been moved closer to the geometric centre of the lens, reducing the central clear zone from 9.4mm to 6.9mm. This ensures the near-peripheral retina is continuously activated, which research shows is the region most responsive to myopia control signals.
• Powerful: The defocus power has been increased from +3.50D to +4.50D. This delivers a stronger, more robust signal to slow the elongation of the eye.
• Extended: The treatment zone has been expanded. This guarantees that a larger portion of your child's visual field receives the preventative signal, even when wearing larger spectacle frames.

We know that children's glasses need to withstand the playground. The MiYOSMART iQ features a brand-new S.P.A.R.K. (Scratch resistant, Protection, Advanced technologies, Ready for Kids) coating.

• It is up to 50% more scratch-resistant than the previous generation.
• It repels water, smudges, and dust up to five times better, maintaining long-lasting cleanability.
• It provides 100% UV protection from the front while actively reducing reflections and glare.

For kids who are always outdoors, we can also supply these lenses with Chameleon photochromic technology, automatically adapting to varying sunlight to offer constant UV protection. Plus, thanks to new FreeForm technology, the edges of the lenses can be reduced by up to 10%, giving a thinner, more aesthetically pleasing finish.

Dispensing a highly technical lens like the MiYOSMART iQ requires pinpoint accuracy. If the treatment zones are not perfectly aligned with your child's visual axis, the lens cannot do its job properly.

This is why our Myopia Management clinics in South London involve meticulous frame styling and hospital-grade diagnostics. Using our Topcon Myah machine, we precisely measure your child's axial length every three months. By tracking the physical growth of the eyeball, we can definitively confirm that the MiYOSMART iQ lenses are working. We also routinely conduct Optomap ultra-widefield imaging to check the stretched peripheral areas of the retina for any early signs of damage.

As an Independent Prescribing Optometrist, my priority is ensuring your child has access to the highest tier of medical eye care without the wait for a hospital referral.

Put simply, axial eye length is the physical distance measured from the front of the cornea to the back curve of the eye, directly underlying the retina.

As a child grows, their eyes grow too. However, in myopic (short-sighted) children, the eye elongates too rapidly and stretches out of proportion. In general, the longer the eye grows, the higher the degree of myopia becomes.

There is considerable variation in normal axial eye length across individuals. A normal axial eye length sits between 23mm and 23.5mm (with males typically showing eyes about 0.5mm longer than females).

Clinical myopia tends to occur once the axial length extends over 24mm.

The primary goal of proactive Myopia Control is to slow down this physical eye growth as much as clinically possible. Specifically, our objective is to prevent the eye from reaching an axial length of 26mm. Once an eye elongates past the 26mm threshold, the delicate tissues at the back of the eye are stretched dangerously thin. This dramatically increases the risk of severe vision problems in adulthood, including myopic maculopathy and glaucoma.

Because axial length is the truest indicator of myopia progression, we take precise axial length measurements as a mandatory part of our myopia management clinics—a level of Preventative Eye Care that most standard opticians do not provide.

To deliver this exceptional standard of care, we have heavily invested in the Topcon Myah—a state-of-the-art diagnostic instrument specifically designed for myopia management. This advanced technology allows us to capture highly accurate axial length measurements in a matter of seconds.

As part of our comprehensive myopia management programme, we measure your child's axial length every 3 months. Tracking this precise data allows us to definitively confirm whether the chosen treatment is successfully slowing the eye's growth, or if we need to proactively adjust their treatment plan to better protect their vision.

Furthermore, because elongating eyes are at a significantly higher risk for retinal damage, we routinely incorporate Optomap Ultra-Widefield Imaging into our assessments. While a standard eye test only sees a fraction of the back of the eye, our hospital-grade Optomap captures a 200-degree, high-resolution image of the retina. This allows us to meticulously check the stretched peripheral areas of myopic eyes for signs of retinal atrophy, subtle tears, or detachments.

Every child’s eyes are unique, which is why we offer a bespoke portfolio of interventions designed to slow axial elongation.

Specialist Spectacle Lenses For children who prefer glasses, we dispense highly advanced lenses that look just like normal spectacles but feature microscopic treatment zones to slow eye growth:

• Miyosmart Spectacle Lenses: Featuring award-winning D.I.M.S. technology, these lenses simultaneously correct vision while casting a treatment signal to the peripheral retina to halt elongation.
• Imperium Spectacle Lenses: Another brilliant, clinically proven lens design that manages myopia progression without compromising on visual clarity or cosmetic appearance.

Specialist Contact Lenses Contact lenses are fantastic for active children and provide a continuous treatment zone regardless of where the child looks:

• MiSight Soft Contact Lenses: The world’s first daily disposable contact lens clinically proven to slow the progression of myopia in children.
• Mylo Soft Contact Lenses: A highly breathable, monthly silicone hydrogel lens featuring Extended Depth of Focus (EDOF) technology, tailored specifically for myopia management.

Overnight Vision Correction

• Orthokeratology (Ortho-K EyeDream MC Design): A remarkable, non-surgical alternative to laser eye surgery. Your child wears these custom-designed lenses only while they sleep. The lenses gently reshape the cornea overnight, meaning they wake up with perfect 20/20 vision and do not need to wear glasses or daytime contact lenses at all.

The field of myopia management is constantly evolving. Globally, pharmacological treatments like low-dose Atropine eye drops are showing incredible promise in slowing down axial growth.

This is where choosing an Independent Prescribing Optometrist becomes crucial for your child's care. Not all high-street opticians hold this advanced medical qualification. Because I am IP-qualified, I am licensed to write prescriptions for hospital-strength medications. Once pharmaceutical treatments like Atropine become fully licensed for myopia management in the UK, we will have the clinical authority to prescribe these medicines directly to your child right here in our Thornton Heath practice—ensuring they have immediate access to the latest medical interventions without waiting for hospital referrals.