Myopia Management

Studies now show there is more to worry about with myopic eyes than the inconvenience of ever-thickening lenses. Scientific evidence has proven that myopic patients are more vulnerable to a range of sight-threatening diseases and complications.

Patients with even a mild degree of myopia have a four-fold increase in the risk of retinal detachment. For those with moderate to severe myopia (more than 5 diopters), the risk increases ten plus times. One study concluded that more than 50 percent of retinal detachments not related to trauma are associated with myopia. Other myopia risks include glaucoma, cataracts and myopic maculopathy (macular degeneration).

Researchers believe that the environment kids grow up in today is contributing to the rapid increase in childhood myopia. Contributing factors include too many close distance activities (like reading or device use) and lack of outdoor play. While glasses and contact lenses compensate for a child’s blurry distance vision, they don’t stop your child’s vision from continuing to deteriorate. As children grow, myopia often develops as they reach school age and, untreated, progresses into the late teens.

The dangers of myopia, in conjunction with the normal challenges of poor vision, mean it is important for parents of myopic children to manage the condition as part of your child’s eye health.

The goal of myopia management is to slow or even stop the progression of myopia and reduce its impact on your child’s life. The earlier myopia management begins, the more effective the treatment. We have expanded our children’s myopia management service in partnership with Treehouse Eyes®, the country’s leading myopia management service. This revolutionary system, designed to treat your child’s myopia and significantly reduce the threat of more serious eye diseases, is one of the most important innovations since glasses were first prescribed hundreds of years ago.

Prescription glasses or traditional contacts lenses only correct the symptoms of myopia. Our developmental optometrists use state-of-the-art equipment to develop a personalized treatment plan for your child. A thorough case history is conducted to determine patient and family history, refractive status and prior changes in power are noted, visual acuity is recorded, axial length is measured, and corneal topographies are collected. With this information, the doctors can make a confident decision on treatment modalities to minimize the myopic progression and maximize long-term visual outcomes.