Myopia Management

What is Myopia?

Myopia or nearsightedness is when children see up close but they can't see far away without glasses. Just like feet get bigger and children get taller, nearsightedness happens because the eyeball gets too long. Since children only continue to grow, myopia causes children to need stronger glasses every year as their eyes continue to grow.

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What causes Myopia?

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What is the Problem with Myopia? 

  1. Rapid changes in children's vision leads to decreased learning ability at school.
  2. Later in life they will be at higher risk for many eye diseases such as retinal detachments and glaucoma.
  3. Higher amounts of myopia in adulthood can affect their quality of life 
  4. Myopic prevalence is growing at an alarming rate and is expected to reach 50% by 2050! 

 What Can I Do For My Child's Myopia?

While glasses help your child to see clearly, it does not slow down their worsening vision. Thankfully, you don't have to stand idly by anymore. At Drs. McIntyre & Garza, our myopia management clinic has been a successful treatment program for many years. Our friendly and knowledgeable doctors seek to work with both parent and child to slow the progression of myopia. We use the latest research-based treatments that are tailored to your child's needs.

What Can Be Done?

Regular glasses and contacts help children see better, but they do not slow the progression of nearsightedness.

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OrthoK / Night Contacts

Contact lenses that gently reshape the front surface of children's eyes while they sleep. They temporarily correct childrens vision so they can see clearly all day long without glasses or contacts (similar to how retainers work after getting braces removed).  

MiSight Contacts 

Duel focus soft daily disposable contact lenses that bend the light that enters the eye in a beneficial way for eye development.

Atropine

Atropine is an eye drop instilled once nightly to both eyes. This drop directly works on the eyes focusing system in a beneficial way.

How Long Does My Child Need To Be Treated?

While myopia typically worsens into their early twenties, most myopia management studies only observed 6-16 year olds. So it is recommended to be in the program at least until their mid-teens.

 Is Myopia Management Safe?

While Myopia Management contact lens wear has the same risks as normal daily soft contacts. With proper compliance, all risks are unlikely and only temporary.

Research Outcomes

Studies show up to a 60% reduction in progression of myopia.

This means that without myopia management, your child's myopia will likely more than double before reaching adulthood. It may mean the difference between being able to function in their own home or work at a computer desk or go swimming without the need for glasses versus not even being able to see the shampoo bottle in the shower or alarm clock next to their bed.

We'll see you at your convenience, not ours. 7 days a week