Myopia, or nearsightedness, is on the rise. More people have myopia, and their prescriptions are higher than ever before. As the prescription to correct myopia goes up, so does the risk for health complications to the eye.
Changes to the glasses prescription are most likely to happen in kids. That is why it’s important to intervene when kids are young to try and reduce their final adult prescription. Several interventions have been shown to slow these changes with the added benefit of reducing the risk of lasting damage to the eye.
Not all interventions are right for everyone. We take a look at the whole patient, including hobbies and lifestyle, to come up with a comprehensive plan tailored to each patient.
Some interventions include:
- Soft multifocal contacts or MiSight Lenses: similar to other traditional contacts, these specially designed soft lenses are worn during the day and removed at night. Studies have shown that contacts can actually boost a kid’s confidence, and that children are actually safer at wearing and caring for soft contacts than their teenage counterparts. For this reason, when indicated, we start kids in contacts sooner than you might expect.
- OrthoK, CRT or Overnight Lenses: these lenses work like braces/retainers to reshape the eye so that you don’t need glasses/contacts to see during the day! Just like retainers, if you don’t wear them you don’t get the effect. That means that in order to use these lenses and get clear vision during the day, you have to be prepared to wear them for 7-8 hours each night.
- Atropine: when used regularly, even at low doses, it has been shown to slow down myopia changes. It does not correct for myopia on its own, so glasses or contacts have to be used in addition to these drops.
Schedule an appointment with one of our doctors so we can discuss which method(s) are best for you!
In the meantime, if you want to learn more, feel free to check out these links:
For more about Myopia: What Is Myopia? | BHVI
Simple changes you can do now: Protect Your Child’s Eyes | BHVI
A great overall resource: My Kids Vision | Myopia in Children – Myopia Causes & Prevention