Myopia Control
Slow the progression and protect your child’s vision.
When your child is nearsighted, they face more than just difficulty seeing the blackboard at school.
Nearsightedness in childhood is linked to an increased risk of some common but preventable vision conditions in the future.
Myopia control can help slow the progression of nearsightedness and protect your child's vision, both today and in the future.
Learning more about these beneficial measures can help you make the right decisions for your child's health and future.
Schedule an appointment with a San Diego area optometrist today!
About Myopia Control
Nearsightedness — or myopia — is a vision condition in which people can see close objects clearly, but objects farther away appear blurry.
People with myopia can have difficulty clearly seeing a movie or TV screen, a whiteboard in school, or while driving.
Myopia occurs if the eyeball is too long or the cornea is too curved.
Your San Diego Optometrists eye doctor may recommend some measures for myopia control. These are often used to help slow down the progression of vision problems in children.
Myopia control measures are designed to reduce the impact of nearsightedness in children by slowing down its progress.
There are several ways that this can be accomplished, and your doctor can help choose the right approach for you or your child.
4 Myopia Control Treatment Options
Most patients respond best to one type of treatment over others. Your doctor can help you determine which one is right for you.
Common myopia control measures include:
- Atropine Eye Drops: Relieve focus fatigue and pain associated with inflammation by temporarily preventing the eye from changing focus. Drops are used regularly and this non-invasive approach is considered to be the most effective for myopia control in childhood.
- Multifocal Contact Lenses: In the general population these are used to assist those with refractive errors including astigmatism; they can also be used to help those developing typical age-related farsightedness issues. For children, multifocal contact lenses can help control myopia and lead to a reduced risk of vision problems later in life.
- Multifocal Eyeglasses: These have a similar but slower impact on the progression of myopia; multifocal contacts are considered more effective than glasses, but both work the same way.
- Orthokeratology: Also known as Ortho-K, these gas permeable lenses are designed to help reshape the cornea. These lenses are worn only at night and do not offer correction for daytime use. Ortho-K can help kids (who are comfortable sleeping with lenses in) control myopia and reduce further risk.
Why Should I Try Myopia Control Measures?
Myopia control measures can help prevent vision problems and complications later in life.
Some conditions are associated with childhood myopia, so slowing the progression of the condition can offer protection from these complications.
Glaucoma, cataracts, and retinal tear or detachment risks are all reduced when myopia is controlled in childhood.
Get Help with Myopia Control
Learning more about the benefits of a proactive approach to myopia control allows you to reduce the risk that your child faces later in life.
Each of these measures is designed to both protect your child’s future and ensure that they can see well today for school, activities and play.
Contact an eye doctor near you to discover how you can protect your child’s vision and future.