Myopia Control for Kids
Myopia Control Myopia is also called nearsightedness. To be nearsighted means that you are literally “near-sighted” — you can see nearby objects clearly, but distant objects look blurry. Myopia is measured in units called diopters (D). Eyeglasses and contact lenses that correct myopia start with a minus sign (–). Myopia occurs when the eyeball is too long relative to the focusing power of the eye.
What causes myopia?
Heredity, too much time spent on computers and cell phones, lack of sunlight exposure, and poor eye teaming and focusing. Children who spend more than 7 hours a week using computers and mobile video games triple their risk for myopia!
Myopia Control Options
Corneal Reshaping
(also called Ortho-k)
Wear specially designed contact lens-like retainers while you sleep, remove when you get up, and you can see without glasses or contact lenses! Research has proven that Ortho-K is effective at slowing progression of myopia (nearsightedness)!
Medicated drops - Low Dose Atropine
Several studies have looked at the positive effects of atropine on myopia control while reducing the concentration and its negative side effects. Lower concentrations of atropine is effective at slowing the progression of myopia without the full strength side effects. Used nightly, low-dose Atropine eyedrops can be a first line treatment or an adjunct to other forms of myopia control.
Multifocal Spectacles
In children, it's common for prescriptions for glasses & contact lenses to grow stronger each year. During the ages of 6-12, children's eyes are growing the fastest. However, there is more to worry about than the inconvenience of ever-thickening lenses.
Lifestyle
Two hours per day of leisure “close work” (meaning non-school work: close up screen time or book-reading) outside school hours.
Multifocal Contact Lenses
MiSight®1 day is an award-winning 2,3,4 dual-focus soft contact lens that uses ActivControl™ Technology to slow the elongation of the eyeball. The ActivControl™ Technology in MiSight®1 day utilizes an optic zone concentric ring design with alternating vision correction and treatment zones.
When should my child start myopia control?
As soon as possible! The younger the child develops myopia, the worse the myopia may become. Once myopia starts, it's irreversible. So be proactive and start myopia control for your child today. Single vision eyeglasses and contact lenses do not slow down the progression of myopia.
In addition, if your child decides to have laser eye surgery to correct their myopia later in life, a lower prescription means more likely to be suitable candidates and better visual outcomes after surgery.
Myopia Control Treatment Options
1. MiSight
Kids lead active, jam-packed lives. But whether they’re playing pretend, riding bikes with their friends, or learning new things at school, myopia (nearsightedness) can make it harder for them to engage in the activities they love. And as they grow, their prescription may get stronger too. Fortunately, your age-appropriate children may benefit from an innovative technology to help slow down the progression of their myopia1*: MiSight® 1 day contact lenses from CooperVision. MiSight 1 day contact lenses with ActivControl® Technology not only correct nearsightedness – they’re also the first soft contact lenses proven to slow the progression of myopia in children in children aged 8-12 at initiation of treatment. When wearing MiSight 1 day contact lenses, your age-appropriate child can experience clear vision, freedom from glasses and continue to enjoy the activities they love!
2. Orthokeratology (also called Ortho-k)
Wear specially designed contact lens-like retainers while you sleep, remove when you get up, and you can see without glasses or contact lenses! Research has proven that Ortho-K is effective at slowing progression of myopia (nearsightedness)!
Ortho-K - Correct Your Vision While You Sleep >>
3. Low-Dose Atropine
A topical drop called atropine was first suggested as a means of slowing the progression of myopia in the 1920s; however, it was rarely prescribed at full strength due to its notable side effects: light sensitivity and blurred vision while reading. Since then several studies have looked at the positive effects of atropine on myopia control while reducing the concentration and its negative side effects. Lower concentrations of atropine is effective at slowing the progression of myopia without the full strength side effects. Used nightly, low-dose Atropine eyedrops can be a first line treatment or an adjunct to other forms of myopia control.
Myopia is progressive
In children, it's common for prescriptions for glasses & contact lenses to grow stronger each year. During the ages of 6-12, children's eyes are growing the fastest. However, there is more to worry about than the inconvenience of ever-thickening lenses.
Myopia can increase your child's risk of certain sight-threatening eye diseases. Eyes that have myopia grow too long and cause the normal eye to change its shape from an orange to an egg. Dr. Laura monitors myopia by measuring your eye length, called axial length. Monitoring axial length can be crucial in predicting the progression of myopia, especially in children, and in determining the appropriate treatment options, such as prescription eyedrops, special contact lenses, or orthokeratology (a method to reshape the cornea using specialized contact lenses) to correct vision. Longer axial lengths are often associated with higher degrees of myopia, which means that people with longer eyeballs are likely to have more severe nearsightedness. 
Children with progressive myopia have significant life-long increase of sight-threatening eye conditions such as retinal detachments, glaucoma and cataracts.
Those with high myopia have a 50% higher risk of developing glaucoma, are 3 times more likely to develop cataracts, and 6 times more likely to develop retinal detachment as adults than children who don’t have myopia.
Can myopia lead to blindness? The higher the myopia, the higher the probability of sight-threatening complications like glaucoma, cataracts and retinal detachment may occur.
A detached retina is a very serious threat to a person's vision, and a recent study concluded that more than half of all retinal detachments are attributable to myopia, not injury.