Myopia Control: Preserving Your Child’s Vision
As a parent, you want to protect your child’s vision and eye health, but conditions like myopia can affect their life over the years.
Myopia is an increasingly common condition and, if left untreated, can lead to vision impairment in adulthood. Myopia control can help preserve your child’s sight throughout life while helping them achieve clear vision today.
We offer several strategies that can help your child manage their myopia. We’ll happily guide you and your child through the process, providing the details you need to understand your child’s vision needs.
Myopia control is an important step in protecting your child’s future vision. Book a myopia control appointment with us to learn more today!
What Is Myopia?
Myopia, or nearsightedness, is a condition that affects how light focuses in the eye, causing distant objects to appear blurry. This can be caused by the eye growing longer than normal or a cornea that is too curved.
It is one of the most common refractive errors, often developing during childhood. With proper management, we can help reduce its progression and protect your child’s vision.
What Happens If Myopia Continues to Progress?
By 2050, nearly half of the global population will be impacted by myopia. Early management is crucial to prevent progression into high myopia, which can have serious effects on vision and eye health. Taking proactive measures in the early stages can help protect long-term eye health.
If left unmanaged, high myopia can cause serious complications in adulthood and increase the risk of certain eye diseases and conditions. These issues can include:
- Cataracts
- Retinal detachment
- Myopic macular degeneration
- Glaucoma
Myopia control can be an effective way to reduce the risk of these potential long-term issues and protect your child’s vision for years to come.
Vision & Learning Go Hand-in-Hand
When your kids are having trouble with their vision, it can impact their daily life at school, including reading from a distance, seeing the board, and even participating in sports and gym classes.
A lack of understanding around myopia can lead to stress and confusion for your child and, if left undiagnosed, can cause them to fall behind. Our team at Central Optometry wants to help by providing professional care and myopia control options such as ortho-k, Abiliti 1-day contacts, and MyoCare lenses.
We aim to help your kids excel both inside and outside the classroom.
Signs & Symptoms of Myopia
Myopia can affect your children in different ways. Some common signs and symptoms of myopia can include:
- Eye strain
- Blurry vision when looking at faraway objects
- Squinting to see distant objects
- Headaches
If your child is experiencing these symptoms, a comprehensive eye exam with our team can help determine if myopia control methods such as ortho-k lenses could be beneficial.
When Should You Consider Myopia Control?
Your Child Struggles with Schoolwork
Uncorrected refractive errors can have an impact on a child’s school work.
Studies have found that children with myopia are at an increased risk of struggling at school compared to those without.
Your Child Struggles with Eye Strain & Headaches
Myopia can cause a number of additional issues, including eye strain and headaches. Treating myopia during its early stages can help reduce the risk of those issues and other complications of high myopia.
Your Child Avoids Sports & Outdoor Activities
Studies have found that children with myopia reported that they had difficulty taking part in outdoor activities such as playing sports.
Spending more time inside can also contribute to your child’s myopia development.
How We Manage Myopia
Myopia control isn’t about curing nearsightedness. Instead, it focuses on slowing down the eye growth that can affect your child’s eye health and vision throughout their life.
In essence, myopia control methods work by signalling the eye that it doesn’t have to grow longer. We’ll delve into the suitable options for your child during their eye exam, and we can recommend strategies that match their lifestyle.
Let’s find the right approach to help your child preserve their sight!
Orthokeratology contact lenses, also known as ortho-k, are worn by children overnight to temporarily reshape their corneas and manage the progression of myopia.
Ortho-k lenses are particularly helpful for children who engage in physical activities such as sports, as they can participate without concerns about breaking or losing their glasses. Ortho-k lenses offer a great option for managing mild to moderate myopia in children.
After waking up, your children can remove the lenses and enjoy clear vision throughout the day.
Atropine is used to dilate the eyes for a comprehensive eye exam. In low daily doses, atropine eye drops can help control myopia progression.
Low-dose atropine drops can work by suppressing the eye’s growth to slow down the progression of myopia. However, we may still recommend wearing contact lenses or glasses during the day to help keep your child’s vision clear.
ACUVUE Abiliti Soft Contacts are designed for ultimate comfort with breathable material that helps keep eyes fresh and hydrated throughout the day.
ACUVUE Abiliti soft contacts manage myopia by changing how light focuses on the retina so it can signal the eye to slow its growth and reduce myopia progression.
ZEISS MyoCare eyeglass lenses use a small central zone of clarity in the lens, along with myopic defocus on the peripheral sides of the lenses to affect how light focuses on the retina and control myopia progression.
ZEISS MyoCare lenses are crafted from high-quality materials, offering users clear and sharp vision coupled with exceptional comfort. With 2 unique designs customized for patients based on their age, these lenses are available in both single-vision and progressive options, giving your children options.
Take Our Myopia Quiz
Need more clarity? Take our myopia quiz down below.
For the Love of Clear Vision
An eye exam can diagnose nearsightedness and other vision problems that hinder learning and playing. Book your child’s eye exam today!
Explore Our Brands
More of Our Services
Explore our wide range of eye care services at Central Optometry.
AMD Centre of Excellence
The AMD Centre of Excellence is all about using innovative technology, experience, and education towards treating and managing age-related macular degeneration. Our practice has earned the distinction of being an AMD Centre of Excellence through continued efforts of managing and understanding AMD.
Colour Blindness & Enhancement
Colour blindness affects millions of people worldwide. We strive to help people navigate life through colour blindness and see the world in a new light. We offer EnChroma lenses for individuals dealing with colour blindness issues.
Laser Eye Surgery Consultation
We strive to be by your side through the laser eye surgery process. Whether you’re considering LASIK or PRK, we can help determine if you’re a good candidate for laser eye surgery. We also schedule follow-up appointments post-surgery to monitor your recovery.
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Best optometry appointment I’ve ever had. The eye exam took no time at all and I got a year supply of contacts at a really great price! Would recommend this place if you’re looking for a new optometrist in London.
Vanessa
The practice is on my way home from work and was recommended to me by a friend. Hours are great! My appointment was on time and the staff was really helpful with billing and picking out new frames. I would recommend them to anyone looking for an optometrist!
Laura
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Come Visit Us
We offer free parking in our underground parking lot. To access our parking, turn in the laneway on the right side of our building and enter the parking garage on your left. You can enter our lobby from the parking garage near the front of the building and take the stairs or elevator to the second level.
Our Address
- 148 York Street
- London, ON N6A 1A9
Contact Information
- Phone: 519-432-1875
- Email: [email protected]
