Myopia – What is it?

We evaluate each myope (person with nearsightedness) and collect data to determine which method of control is best. We offer different forms of myopia therapy to slow and even halt the progression of myopia, using spectacles, soft contact lenses, ortho-keratology, and therapeutic drops. In some instances more than one therapeutic option are employed for maximum management.

Many treatments have been effective at slowing or even stopping myopia from worsening in children. This article for parents offers a helpful overview of myopia management and recommendations.

Special spectacle lens designs have properties built into the lens technology to limit the eyes’ demand and therefore focus, which has shown to slow the increase in nearsightedness. There are new advancements in this area and some new lenses in the pipeline, so stay tuned.

There is one FDA-approved soft contact lens that has been proven to slow the progression of nearsightedness, called MiSight® 1 Day by Cooper Vision. This contact lens is a daily disposable contact lens that works to change the focus on the retina and increasing spherical aberrations which slows elongation of the eye and slows myopia in turn.

Ortho-keratology, which utilizes rigid gas permeable contacts that are similar in concept to braces where they hold the glasses prescription where it is when you start the therapy so slow the progressive increase in prescription over time.

Pharmaceutical eye drops have been used in the treatment of myopia control therapy for many years. Therapeutic eye drops, particularly low dose Atropine, has been and continues to be comprehensively studied for its effectiveness and side effects. It has continued to show a positive impact on slowing elongation of the eye and slowing the progression of myopia with limited side effects. The main side effects of the diluted drops is large pupil size, mild light sensitivity, and mild changes in near vision, all of which can be easily addressed as needed.

• A landmark study published in 2015 by the National Institutes of Health confirmed a startling increase in myopia among American children.
  • The Collaborative Longitudinal Evaluation of Ethnicity and Refractive Error (CLEERE) Study, offers an in-depth look at myopia and its increasing prevalence among children around the world.
• Another supporting article, The Myopic Boom, examines the role that genetics, ethnicity, outdoor time and screen time have on children’s vision.
• The American Academy of Ophthalmology discusses the effects of outdoor time on myopia in children in this article. Researchers believe spending more time outdoors may reduce a child’s risk of developing myopia. This is especially important if your family has a history of myopia (nearsightedness).
• In 2019, a Vision Report released by the World Health Organization named the global rise in myopia as a major public health issue that requires more resources. As research develops we are going to see studies published that illustrate how the COVID-19 Pandemic has accelerated myopia worldwide. In our practice we have see a large increase in myopia, across all age groups.

• The National Institutes of Health reports diseases linked to high myopia include glaucoma, retinal disease, and cataracts. As the eye elongates, the prescription increases, and the risk of these conditions increase significantly.
• The biggest eye health threat linked to myopia is retinal disease. An NIH abstract summarized multiple clinical studies and concluded the threats of vision impairment and blindness will continue to increase significantly without an effort to stop the development and progression of myopia.
• To help you understand the risk for your child, this chart produced by Review of Myopia Management demonstrates the risk of developing serious eye diseases at different levels of myopia.