Options for Myopia Management

Myopia or nearsightedness is a serious eye disorder. Based on recent clinical data, this eye condition is getting more and more pervasive around the world. Studies have also proven that myopia is becoming a distressing challenge to the development of many children. Because of this, there is a great need for myopia control at an early age. If your child has childhood myopia, here are some options for myopia management.

Atropine Eye Drops

Kids are usually diagnosed with myopia when they reach 5 to 7 years old. There is scientific evidence that if left untreated, childhood myopia worsens until the children turn 12 when the condition plateaus. New research states that giving your child low-dose atropine eye drops at bedtime can delay the advancement of myopia.
 

Take note that children who receive atropine drops still need eyeglasses. Their only advantage over kids who do not get the eye drops is that their myopia will not become as bad. Experts in eye health state that the rate of myopia progression in children decreases by half because of atropine eye drops. They even add that the earlier your child gets the low-dose atropine eye drops, the less nearsighted your child will be.

Orthokeratology

Orthokeratology involves the use of ortho-k or special gas permeable contact lenses that your child has to wear while sleeping at night. By wearing ortho-k lenses, your child does not have to put on contact lenses or glasses during daytime hours. Eye experts also refer to these lenses as CRT (corneal refractive lenses) or corneal reshaping lenses. Years of extensive studies have shown that ortho-k lenses suppress the axial stretching of the eyes in myopic children.

Soft Multifocal Contact Lenses

These are specially modified soft contact lenses proven to be effective in correcting childhood myopia. These lenses alter the way light is focused on your child’s peripheral vision. Wearing these specialized contacts is much like putting on regular contact lenses.
 

A 2010 study in the United States, Australia, and China showed that soft multifocal contact lenses decreased the progression of myopia in children by 54 percent. Research done in New Zealand the following year showed that myopia slowed down by 30 percent in children who wore multifocal soft contacts. Two years later, clinical scientists in the U. S. discovered that the nearsighted children who wore multifocal soft lenses had a 50 percent delay in the progression of their myopia.

Research data demonstrates that you could maximize these myopia management options when your eye doctor detects myopia in your child at an early age. Subjecting your child to eye exams is the most efficient way to spot myopia. Here at Ridgeview Eyecare, we can offer these myopia management options to your child. If you have questions about our treatment options or would like to schedule an appointment you can call us at 913-270-8598 (Olathe) or 913-270-6017 (De Soto).