Myopia Control Specialist
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Family Eyecare, LLC
Optometrists located in Linden, NJ
If your child’s vision seems to get worse every year, myopia control could be a great way to prevent their nearsightedness from growing worse. At Family Eyecare of Linden, Elaina Moyshelis, OD, and the compassionate and supportive team is ready to help with customized myopia control solutions for your child. Book an appointment online or call the Linden, New Jersey, office today.
Myopia Control Q & A
What is myopia control?
Myopia control is a treatment that prevents your child’s nearsightedness from growing steadily worse. There are several types of myopia control, and your Family Eyecare of Linden optometrist can help you decide the best treatment path for your child.
Why is myopia control important?
Myopia in childhood may mean that your child has a higher risk of severe myopia as an adult. They may also have increased risk for eye diseases like glaucoma or cataracts. Myopia control can stop myopia and may just help protect your child from serious eye problems later.
How does myopia control work?
There are a few different options for myopia control. Your Family Eyecare of Linden eye doctor may recommend any of the following.
Multifocal eyeglasses or contact lenses
Multifocal lenses like bifocals help with vision at two or more distances. For many children, wearing multifocal glasses or contacts is enough to slow down or stop the progression of myopia. Although multifocal lenses or glasses might not work in all cases, they’re usually superior to regular glasses or lenses for young patients with more than one eye problem.
Atropine eye drops
Atropine eye drops work by reducing the eye’s auto-focus abilities temporarily. This helps alleviate focus fatigue and may help prevent myopia from worsening in children. If your child uses atropine eye drops for myopia control, they’ll still need to wear eyeglasses or contacts as usual. But, there’s a good chance that they won’t need such frequent prescription changes. Atropine eye drops may slow down myopia progression in most kids by about 50%.
Orthokeratology
Orthokeratology, or ortho-k, is a popular myopia control solution for kids, teens, and even some adults today. Ortho-k lenses are rigid contacts that your child wears while they sleep. They won’t wear lenses during the day. The ortho-k lenses reshape the cornea to improve vision temporarily, but the cornea returns to its usual shape (and brings the vision problems with it) by the end of the day. Consistency is vital for ortho-k to work, so you might need to closely monitor your child to make sure they’re wearing the lenses every night.
In addition to myopia control treatments, your Family Eyecare of Linden eye doctor might recommend simple lifestyle changes like spending more time outdoors. Studies show that 40 minutes outdoors each day might help delay the progression of myopia in kids.
To learn more about myopia control, click online scheduling, or call Family Eyecare of Linden now.
