Managing Myopia Progression in Children and Adolescents

Myopia, or nearsightedness, is a condition that is more than just about needing glasses to see clearly. Myopia can worsen over time in children and teens, hurting their quality of life and putting their eyes’ health at risk. But with treatments to control myopia, children can see better now and ensure their eye health for the future.
 

What is Myopia

Myopia happens when your eye's shape makes it hard for light to focus where it should. This can happen when your eyeball is too long or the cornea, the clear front layer of your eye, is too curved. When this happens, the light entering your eye is not focused directly on the retina, which is part of the eye that senses light. Instead, the light is focused in front of the retina, which makes it hard to see things far away. Eye doctors refer to this condition as a refractive error.

According to health experts, myopia affects a significant percentage of the U.S. population. They estimate that almost 42% of the population is nearsighted, almost double what it was thirty years ago. Unfortunately, this trend is showing no signs of slowing down. While being nearsighted may seem minor, it can pose long-term health risks and hazards.
 

What Is Myopia Control? 

When myopia starts to develop in children and teenagers, it usually worsens every few months until their late teens or early adult years. If left untreated, this progression can make it much harder to see and raise the risk of eye health problems. Taking steps to stop myopia from worsening is essential to keeping your eyes healthy and your vision good.

Myopia progression can lead to frequent changes in prescription for spectacles or contact lenses. This is inconvenient and can make you more likely to get eye diseases and have trouble seeing over time. This is why it has become increasingly important to adopt treatments that aim to slow down the progression of myopia, commonly known as myopia control.

These treatments can include various options, such as eyeglasses, soft contact lenses, ortho-k, and atropine eye drops.
 

Prescription Glasses

Correcting nearsightedness is traditionally done through the use of prescription eyeglasses. These glasses alter how light is refracted, allowing distant objects to appear clear.

Soft Contact Lenses

Soft contact lenses are a good and comfortable alternative to glasses for people who need to correct their vision. These lenses are made of a flexible, oxygen-permeable material and fit close to the front surface of the eye. This gives clear vision without the bulk of eyeglasses.
 

Ortho-k

Orthokeratology, commonly known as ortho-k, is a nonsurgical procedure that uses custom-designed contact lenses to reshape the cornea and temporarily enhance visual acuity. Like braces that reposition teeth, ortho-k lenses apply gentle pressure to the cornea to change its curvature, correcting nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism.

Atropine Eye Drops

Atropine is a versatile medication that is used in various medical applications. As an eye drop, it is usually used to make the pupil bigger and stop the eye from focusing.
 

Who Is Eligible for Myopia Control Treatment?

Studies on myopia control treatments have mainly focused on children between six and 16. While some evidence supports the effectiveness of these treatments for younger children and teenagers, there needs to be more research available for those outside of this age range. If you want to learn about your options for controlling myopia, you should talk to an eye care professional to determine which method might work best for you.

For more on managing myopia progression in children and adolescents, visit Optimal Optometry at our Ontario, California office. Call (909) 563-3120 today to schedule an appointment.