At Insight Complete Eye Care, we can help you manage you or your child’s myopia. We offer several myopia management options for this common eye disorder, which can improve vision and even slow the progression of myopia in children.
What Is Myopia?
Myopia, also referred to as nearsightedness, is a vision condition that causes objects at a distance to appear blurry and out of focus. Objects nearer to the individual are typically clear, although, it is possible to have myopia in addition to other vision conditions.
Myopia is caused by the eye growing too long from front to back, which causes incoming light to focus in front of the retina rather than on it, where it should be. Myopia can also be caused by excessive corneal curvature or a lens within the eye that is too thick.
Typically, this condition develops during childhood when the eyeball is going through periods of rapid growth. It may continue to progress quickly until the teen years when it tends to stabilize and progress more slowly. Childhood myopia is usually diagnosed between the ages of 5 and 7.
Myopia increases risk for cataracts, retinal detachments and macular problems that can affect central vision. By preventing the progression of myopia, we can decrease the risk of these vision threatening conditions from occurring.
Prevalence of Myopia
Unfortunately, myopia is not only common but also growing in prevalence. Currently, it is estimated that as much as 25% of the world (1.5 billion people) are considered myopic, and that number is expected to grow to 50% by 2050.
Although several factors may be contributing to this growing number, researchers and eye doctors believe a major one is eye fatigue from the increasing amount of close-up work we do, including using computers, phones, and tablets, reading, and studying. Additionally, less time spent outdoors may also be contributing to the increasing prevalence. Essentially, we are spending more time looking at objects closer to our faces and less time allowing our eyes to focus on those far away.
How to Manage Myopia
Myopia management is a series of treatments our team utilizes to slow down the progression of myopia and improve visual clarity. Primarily, this treatment works to change the structure of the eye by reducing stress and fatigue, which are significant factors in the development and progression of myopia. We understand that every patient is different, and we offer several different treatment options that are customized to meet your unique needs.
Myopia management treatments may include:
- Atropine eye drops
- Multifocal soft contact lenses
- Orthokeratology (also known as ortho-k)
We are proud to offer this evidence-based treatment to prevent the onset or reduce the progression of nearsightedness in our pediatric patients. Our dedicated team prides itself on staying at the forefront of eye care advancements so you can feel confident choosing Insight Complete Eye Care for your treatment.