Early Myopia (blurry distance vision) intervention can help your child now and reduce their eye health risks. We offer non-surgical treatments proven to help your child.
Researchers believe that the environment kids grow up in today, with too many close distance activities (like reading and device use) and lack of outdoor play is contributing to the rapid increase in childhood myopia. 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.
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 mild myopia have a four-fold increase in the risk of retinal detachment. For those with moderate to severe myopia, the risk increases ten 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 macular degeneration.
The dangers of myopia, in conjunction with the normal challenges of subpar 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 younger myopia management begins, the more effective the treatment.
We are excited at Eye to Eye Optometry to announce the launch of our children’s myopia management service in partnership with Treehouse Eyes®, the country’s leading myopia management service. The 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!
Schedule an appointment today and one of our doctors will evaluate your child’s vision and make a customized treatment plan to slow or even stop myopia from progressing.
At Eye to Eye Optometry we use state-of-the-art equipment to develop a personalized treatment plan for your child. Our non-invasive treatments include customized contact lenses and special prescription eye drops. Data from children using our patent-pending Treehouse Vision System® treatment plan shows a 78% decrease in the progression of their myopia vs. no treatment. At your initial consultation, we will determine the treatment that will work best for your child.
Ortho-K or Orthokeratology is one practice being used to slow down the progression of myopia. Ortho-K utilizes a special rigid gas-permeable contact lens that is placed into the eyes just before you go to bed. This hard lens helps to gently hold your eye in the proper shape throughout the night. Then when you wake up in the morning and remove the lenses, your eye continues to maintain that shape. This means that people who are nearsighted can see clearly throughout the day, even without wearing contact lenses or glasses. This approach is often preferred for athletes or other active individuals
One of the thoughts about the progression of myopia, is that it is associated with eye strain. The additional stresses that are placed on the eye when straining push the eye further out of its proper shape. Atropine eye drops are specifically designed to help stop the eye from straining and help the muscles relax. Atropine is similar to the eye drops that are used when you get your eyes dilated but lasts throughout the entire day rather than just a few hours. Atropine dilates the pupil of the eye and prevents them from closing too tightly and limiting your vision. This treatment has been shown to be especially effective in slowing the progression of myopia in children.