Myopia Management Blog

Protect Your Child's Vision: Early Myopia Control

Myopia, or nearsightedness, is a growing concern among children. If left untreated, it can lead to serious eye problems. The good news is that early intervention can make a significant difference.

When to Start:

• The ideal time to start myopia control is when your child is first diagnosed with nearsightedness, typically between the ages of 6 and 12.
• Early intervention can significantly slow down the progression of myopia.

Treatment Options:

Several treatment options are available, including:

• Atropine eye drops (low doses)
• Orthokeratology (nighttime contact lenses)
• Multifocal lenses (glasses or contact lenses)

Talk to Your Eye Doctor

The best course of treatment for your child will depend on their individual situation. Consult with an eye doctor to determine the most appropriate approach.

Remember: Early intervention and consistent treatment can help protect your child's vision and reduce the risk of complications associated with myopia.

Schedule a comprehensive eye exam for your child today!

Myopia: A Growing Concern

Myopia, or nearsightedness, is a common eye condition where distant objects appear blurry. It occurs when the eyeball is too long or the cornea is too curved, causing1 light to focus in front of the retina.2

Progressive Myopia: A Serious Risk

Progressive myopia refers to nearsightedness that worsens over time. This can lead to severe eye conditions like glaucoma, cataracts, retinal detachment, and myopic macular degeneration.

Managing Myopia

While glasses and contact lenses can correct myopia, they don't prevent its progression. If you're concerned about your child's myopia, consult an eye doctor to discuss potential management strategies.

The article discusses myopia, or nearsightedness, which is a growing problem especially for children. It explains three ways to slow down the progression of myopia: limiting screen time, spending more time outdoors, and consulting an eye doctor for specialized contact lenses. Spending more time outdoors seems to be particularly effective because sunlight exposure and distance vision activities may help regulate eye growth.

The article describes two common vision problems: nearsightedness (myopia) and farsightedness (hyperopia).

• In a normal eye, light is focused on the retina.
• Myopia occurs when the eyeball is too long or the cornea is too curved, causing light to focus in front of the retina. People with myopia can see near objects clearly but struggle to see far away.
• Hyperopia occurs when the eyeball is too short or the cornea is not curved enough, causing light to focus behind the retina. People with hyperopia can see far objects clearly but struggle to see near objects.

Spending at least two hours outdoors each day is highly recommended for children to help protect their eyesight and prevent nearsightedness (myopia). Dr. Noha Ekdawi, a pediatric ophthalmologist, emphasizes that outdoor time is an effective prevention method for myopia, which is on the rise. In the U.S., myopia rates have increased from 25% in the 1970s to 42% today, with even higher rates in some East Asian countries. Ekdawi has observed a significant increase in myopia among her patients, now affecting about 50% of the children she sees.

Myopia occurs when the eyeball elongates, causing distant objects to appear blurry. This condition tends to worsen over time, potentially leading to severe eye problems like retinal detachments, glaucoma, cataracts, and even blindness. While treatments such as atropine eye drops, MiSight contact lenses, and orthokeratology lenses can slow myopia's progression, prevention through outdoor activity is considered the most effective strategy. Spending time outside may help by exposing children to natural light and reducing the time spent on near-vision activities, which are believed to contribute to the development of myopia.

A recent study involving 187 children aged 5 to 12 found no significant benefit in slowing myopia progression or axial elongation with nightly atropine eye drops compared to a placebo, according to the Pediatric Eye Disease Investigator Group. The study included children from various racial backgrounds, such as white, Black, East Asian, Hispanic or Latino, multiracial, and West/South Asian.

The study's authors concluded that 0.01% atropine eye drops did not show any notable differences in myopia degree or axial length compared to baseline measurements. Dr. David Berntsen of the University of Houston College of Optometry, along with Dr. Jeffrey Walline of The Ohio State University, highlighted these findings in an editorial accompanying the study released in China in February.

Dr. Berntsen further explained that while studies in primarily Asian children have shown more consistent results in slowing myopia progression and eye growth with 0.01% atropine, results in primarily Caucasian samples have been variable. Factors such as improved compliance in Asian children, longer drug activity in children with darker irides, and faster myopia progression among Asian children have been speculated as possible reasons for these differences.

The NIH study reported a high retention rate of 94% at 2.5 years, with over 90% of children demonstrating excellent compliance (76% to 100% of the time).