Myopia Control

  Myopia (or nearsightedness) is common. By 2050 it is estimated that one out of every two people (50%) will have it. With myopia, the eye can be longer than normal from front to back, or the cornea (the clear window at the front of the eye) is too steeply curved. This makes things that are far away from you look blurry.  

Myopia can be corrected with glasses, contact lenses or surgery in some cases. Having myopia can unfortunately increase your chances of having some eye problems, like cataract, glaucoma and retinal detachment.

Recent Studies show myopia is becoming more common among children with the incidence increasing from 24% to over 40% in the last decade.  Research also suggests that children who spend more time indoors doing near-focused activities (such as computer work, video games, and reading) have higher rates of myopia than those who spend more time outdoors.

Optometrists are looking at ways to slow the progression of myopia in children. This can protect a child’s eye health in the future, and in some cases, there is the potential to reverse myopia changes.

Recent studies from around the world have shown that some treatments can slow the progression of Myopia by up to 50%

Some of these are: 

• Behavioral changes to decrease the factors causing the Myopic change in the first place 
• Use of Drugs like Atropine to reduce the change in the length of the eye (axial length) which leads to a change in Myopia 
• Specialty Contact Lenses like Mi Sight or Orthokeratology that use different techniques to slow the rate of axial length growth
• Specialty spectacle lenses that control the peripheral defocus on the eye to slow the rate of axial length growth 
• Vision therapy - To enhance the coordination of the eyes and aid with the behaviors that may contribute to Myopic changes