Myopia Management
What is Myopia?
Myopia is the inability to see things clearly unless they’re relatively close to your eyes. Also called nearsightedness, myopia is the most common vision issue among children and young adults. It occurs when the eye grows too long from front to back, causing light to come to a focus in front of the retina instead of directly on it.
Myopia typically starts during childhood and, unless treated, usually progresses rapidly. Early intervention with myopia treatment can slow, or even stop, the progression of your child’s myopia.
Why does Myopia matter?
Multiple studies show myopia becoming much more common in children showing up at earlier ages and progressing more rapidly. Many researchers believe that reduced outdoor time and increased screen time on devices are part of the problem. Myopia often leads to struggles in school and activities for your child due to poor vision, as well as a significantly increased risk for eye diseases in their lifetime. Early intervention is key to slowing or even stopping the progression of myopia in your child.
Our Myopia Treatment Options
Glasses only compensate for your child’s blurry distance vision, they don’t stop their vision from continuing to deteriorate.
Overnight Contact Lenses:
These specially designed contact lenses gently reshape the front surface of the eye while your child sleeps. The result is clear vision without the need for glasses or contact lenses to be worn during the day. The change in the shape of the cornea, as well as the vision correction that is experienced, reverses back when the lenses are discontinued. These lenses are customized for each child to fit their eye and are designed to help reduce the progression of myopia. Parents appreciate that these lenses stay at home, so there is no risk of a child losing them outside the home.
Daytime Soft Contact Lenses:
These customized therapeutic lenses are designed to be placed on the eye in the morning and removed each night. They have a special optical design to reduce the progression of myopia while providing clear vision during the day. This treatment allows children to be free of glasses all day while providing excellent comfort and vision for all their activities.
Atropine Eyedrops:
Using low dose Atropine eyedrops nightly has been shown to slow myopia progression. Eyedrops are a great option for kids who are not ready or not candidates for contact lenses.
Introducing Myah:
A cutting-edge technology designed to measure the axial length of the eye with precision. Accurate axial length measurements are crucial for effective myopia management and can even predict the risk of myopia development in children before symptoms appear. Additionally, Myah features a topographer that maps the cornea, facilitating the screening for corneal diseases and enhancing our myopia management program. We are proud to incorporate Myah into our practice, providing advanced care and proactive solutions for our patients.
Come in today to learn more about myopia treatment and book an appointment with one of our doctors.