Myopia Management for Children: What Parents Need to Know

Myopia is the most prevalent eye condition in the world. Experts anticipate that by 2050, half of the global population will have myopia, which means that today, more kids are developing this vision problem. The condition typically develops in school-age children and progresses into early adulthood.

What is Myopia?

Also known as nearsightedness, this condition affects your ability to see far objects, leaving you with blurry vision when looking in the distance. The condition initially only affects distant objects but advances to affect those at arms' length.

The condition's cause is unknown, but its structural changes are well understood. It causes the eyeball's elongation and the cornea's bulging, changing the light's refraction. Progression refers to continual elongation and bulging, only stopping once your vision stabilizes. Vision often stabilizes between 18 and 25 years old, but sometimes progression can continue slowly later into adulthood.

Risk Factors for Myopia Development

Several ideas have come and gone to explain the condition over the past decades. In the face of the increasing number of patients, two primary causes stand at the top of the list:

Genetics

Probably the longest-held reason for the cause of the problem, genetics play a significant role in the development of the condition. If you or your spouse have the condition, your child will likely have it too. However, the chances are radically higher if you and your spouse have the condition.

Prolonged Close-up Work

The high number of new myopes cannot be justified by genetics, but it is directly related to the demand for close-up work. Experts have observed that children who spend more time indoors using digital devices than outdoors will likely develop myopia.

Why is Slowing Progression Important?

You can easily correct the condition with eyeglasses when myopia develops, but it still progresses. Progression can lead to more severe and dangerous forms of the condition:

High Myopia

In this condition, the eyeball elongates, and the cornea steepens further than in typical forms of myopia. It is a rarer type that is often inherited. Technically, it is defined as having a refractive error over -6 diopters. Persons with high myopia are more likely to develop retinal detachment and glaucoma in later life.

Degenerative Myopia

More severe than high myopia, this condition develops in early childhood and progresses yearly, sometimes rapidly, and does not stabilize in early adulthood. It can cause severe eye health concerns when the eyeball continues to lengthen, and the retina stretches and becomes too thin. Thin retina can reduce the person’s ability to see clearly, even with the best glasses or contact lenses, and can also progress to develop breaks in or bleeding underneath the retina.

Popular Methods of Slowing Myopia Progression

Soft Multifocal Contact Lenses

Some multifocal contact lenses have shown reduction in the progression of myopia. Recently, the FDA has approved single-use multifocal lenses in children as young as 8 years-old. Results demonstrate that these specialty contact lenses can reduce progression by 50-87%!

Orthokeratology

Ortho-k uses advanced technology to design a pair of gas permeable (hard) contact lenses your child puts on while sleeping, changing the corneal shape overnight. Not only does this method work to slow the progression of myopia, in the morning and during the day, your child will benefit from great vision without eyeglasses.

Atropine Eye Drops

The only medication approved for myopia control; these eye drops stop the elongation of the eyeball. While the established positive results are a welcome discovery, how these eye drops work is still under study.

For more on what parents need to know about myopia management for children, visit Nuwave Vision at our office in Westlake, Ohio. Call (440) 881-0002 to book an appointment today.