Myopia Management
Does your child’s prescription get worse every year?
If so, your child is not alone. Not only is increasing myopia (near-sightedness) annoying, but it is a serious risk to your child’s vision. It increases their risk for cataracts, myopic macular degeneration, glaucoma, and retinal detachments.
The good news is there are now effective treatments to slow the progression of myopia, reducing your child’s risk for permanent vision loss in adulthood.
Polaris Eye Care specializes in controlling the progression of myopia, or near-sightedness. Decreasing the amount of myopia decreases your child’s risk of developing cataracts, glaucoma, myopic macular degeneration, and retinal detachments. The higher the prescription, the greater the risk of sight-threatening complications.
Myopia Management refers to special treatments consisting of certain specialty contact lenses or nighttime eye drops that have been shown to effectively slow down the progression of myopia. Glasses and traditional contact lenses simply allow your child to see clearly until their prescription changes again. Myopia Management slows, or sometimes even halts, the progression of myopia. By keeping your child’s prescription minimal, their risk of sight-threatening complications are dramatically reduced.
What is Myopia?
Myopia, more commonly known as near-sightedness, is the inability to see clearly at distance. This occurs when the eye grows too long causing light to focus in front of the retina (light-sensing structure of the eye). This typically begins in childhood and progresses through the late teens or twenties.
What causes myopia?
Myopia is linked to two factors: Genetics and Lifestyle. Children who have one or both parents that are nearsighted are more likely to develop myopia. Lifestyle factors such as screen time and limited time spent outdoors are also linked to myopia development in children.
Myopia an Epidemic:
By 2050, it is estimated that 58% of the population will be myopic. That is an increase from only 25% in the 1970s and 42% in the 2010s. Myopia is already present in 80% in some east Asian countries today!
Figure 1: Predicted prevalence of myopia by 2050 (adapted from Holden et al)
The Risks of Myopia?
Myopia is not just an inconvenience but it can be dangerous as well. Those with myopia are at an increased risk of Cataracts, Glaucoma, Myopic Macular Degeneration, and Retinal Detachment.
How we treat myopia now can define your child’s future risk of vision loss.
- Relative Risk of Myopia [PDF]
Myopia Management Treatments
Wondering if your child is a candidate?
If you would like to see if your child is a candidate for myopia management, call our office to schedule a myopia management consultation. This includes a comprehensive assessment of your child’s myopia and personalized treatment plan to slow or halt your child’s prescription from worsening.