Is Your Child A Candidate For Myopia Management?

Rapidly progressing myopia is more than just a hassle — today’s research shows that it will put your child at increased risk of developing serious eye diseases in late adulthood, such as glaucoma, cataracts, retinal detachment and macular degeneration.

Fortunately, Dr. Stephanie Woo can help slow the progression of your child’s myopia with a customized myopia management program.

What is Myopia Management?

Myopia management is an evidence-based program that can halt or slow the progression of myopia in children. Each myopia management treatment has varying benefits and levels of efficacy; Dr. Stephanie Woo can help you decide which method is most suitable for your child depending on their age and myopia level.

Is Myopia Management Right for My Child?

The ideal candidate for myopia management is a child or young adult with practically any degree of myopia. Although it’s best to begin myopia management as early as possible, many older children, teens, and college students can still benefit from this treatment.

But first, here are a few factors to consider before embarking on a myopia management program:

• The patient must be at least 6 or 7 years of age
• He or she must be willing and able to care for contact lenses
• Must have a certain level of maturity and responsibility

Below are some examples of myopia management patients:

A 9-year-old recently diagnosed with myopia is already noticing the need to increase her prescription. She begins myopia management to slow down or stop her deteriorating distance vision. This is a great time to start myopia management, as it offers the best chance of preserving long-term eye health.

Myopia management is also suitable for young teens or pre-teens. A 12-year-old who wants to eliminate the need for daytime glasses or contact lenses may find certain myopia management treatments to be very appealing.

A young teen who feels insecure about their appearance when wearing glasses, or who finds that glasses interfere with sports and other activities, may also find myopia management to be a great option.

A 16-year-old teen with mild to moderate myopia hopes to undergo corrective surgery in the future. If they begin myopia management at 16, they have a good chance of stabilizing their vision until they meet the age requirements for corrective surgery a few years later. In addition to decreasing their risks of future eye disease, slowing their myopia progression may increase their chance of successful corrective surgery.

We Can Help Control Your Child’s Myopia

Myopia management works best when parents wish to take a proactive role in preserving their child’s vision in the long term. The earlier a child receives myopia management, the easier it is to control myopia’s progression and the better the long-term results.

If your child has myopia, take action and help mitigate their risk of developing eye disease in the future. For further information or to schedule your consultation, contact The Contact Lens Institute of Nevada today.

Our practice serves patients from Las Vegas, Spring Valley, Enterprise, and Paradise, Nevada and surrounding communities.

REFERENCES

• https://optometry.nova.edu/ce/orlandoweekend/micklesteabcoamyopia
• https://www.mykidsvision.org/blog/when-to-start-and-when-to-stop-myopia-management/

Myopia Management FAQ

This page is dedicated to answering all of your questions about myopia, and what you can do to support your child’s healthy lifelong vision.

What Treatments Are Used In Myopia Management? 

[Eye_doctors] who determine that a child has myopia (nearsightedness) often prescribe eyeglasses or standard contact lenses. While these vision correction tools help the child see better, they cannot slow myopia’s progression. By using the most advanced myopia management methods, Dr. Stephanie Woo can help your child slow myopia progression and reduce the risks of developing vision-robbing ocular diseases later in life.

This page will help you understand the different myopia treatment options and their associated benefits.

What Is Myopia Management?

Myopia begins in childhood and unless its progression is slowed, a child can become very nearsighted by early adulthood. It is not a static condition. By the time you take your child for their next eye exam, their level of nearsightedness will have likely increased.

The goal of myopia management is to slow down its progression, because myopia increases the risk of eventually developing eye diseases like glaucoma, cataracts, retinal detachment and macular degeneration. The higher the progression of myopia, the greater the risk. The earlier your child begins myopia management, even for mild myopia, the greater the benefits.

If you’re concerned that your child’s vision is deteriorating rapidly, contact The Contact Lens Institute of Nevada today. We can help.

What Are the Myopia Management Treatment Methods?

Ortho-K/Orthokeratology

Also known under the following terms:

• Gentle Shaping Vision System (GVSS)
• Corneal Reshaping Therapy (CRT)
• Vision Shaping Therapy (VST)
• Corneal Molding (CM)

Ortho-k is proven to significantly decrease the rate of myopia progression by gently reshaping the cornea with a specialized custom-fit contact lens that needs to be worn overnight. By the morning, the corneal elongation that causes nearsightedness is greatly reduced. This temporary reshaping provides clear vision the following day, without any need to wear eyeglasses or contact lenses.

Atropine Drops

Atropine is a medication that can treat a variety of conditions and complications. Today, it is most commonly used to dilate the pupils for certain eye exams.

Recent research shows that low-dose atropine eye drops can effectively slow down myopia progression in children. When 0.01% atropine eye drops are applied at bedtime over an extended period of time, myopia progression can be mitigated.

Because atropine does not correct vision, optometrists often prescribe the drops in combination with eyeglasses, and it’s frequently used to complement other methods of myopia management.

Multifocal Lenses

Multifocal contact lenses correct higher levels of myopia and are known to be very comfortable. They provide clear central and peripheral vision, and many people don’t even feel that they are wearing them.

Multifocal contact lenses focus light correctly across all areas onto your retina, improving peripheral vision. The center of the contact lens enables the wearer to focus on distant objects that appear blurry to a nearsighted person, while the outer zone enables near objects to be seen more clearly.

How To Choose the Right Myopia Treatment?

If your child has myopia, it is recommended that they undergo myopia management in some form or another. The suitability of orthokeratology or multifocal lenses depends largely on the age of the child and his/her maturity level and lifestyle. In general, children can wear contact lenses from the age of 8.

One factor to consider is the level of nearsightedness. If the refraction level is too high, corneal reshaping may not be as effective. Consult with Dr. Stephanie Woo at The Contact Lens Institute of Nevada to determine whether your child’s prescription can be managed with ortho-k.

Lifestyle is a major consideration. A child who likes to play outdoors may find eyeglasses to be a nuisance, or dusty environments irritating when wearing contact lenses. For these children, ortho-k is probably the better choice.

If you opt for a corrective solution (glasses or contact lenses), consider using atropine drops. They are perfectly suited for young children and have few to no side effects.

Not sure which option to go with? Speak with Dr. Stephanie Woo, who will advise you on the best myopia treatment for your child.

Our practice serves patients from Las Vegas, Spring Valley, Enterprise, and Paradise, Nevada and surrounding communities.