Back to school is right around the corner! The past 16 months has led to
increased screen time for most kids and some studies have shown that kids
spend 7 hours a day on an electronic device. More screen use has been
directly linked to increases in nearsightedness and large prescription
shifts in children.
It is predicted that myopia could affect half of the world’s population by
2050, so the topic of myopia management has become a key focus for
our practice. This has led us to implement methods to help slow down the
rate of myopia progression in children. We are excited about the positive
results we are seeing.
There are child-friendly daily disposable soft contact lenses called
MiSight in addition to overnight lenses that reshape the cornea temporarily
when worn overnight. Both have been proven to slow down nearsightedness in
children. An option that doesn’t involve contact lenses is diluted atropine
eye drops that are used once a day before bed. Studies have shown these
three methods can reduce the amount of nearsighted progression by over 50%!
The end goal in myopia progression treatment is to 1) reduce the risk of
eye health issues (ie glaucoma, retinal detachment, etc) that can come with
increased nearsightedness and 2) keep patients in the prescription range to
be a candidate for LASIK or other refractive surgery options in the
future. We often counsel parents on lifestyle modifications for their child
as well in order to reduce risks of progressing myopia. Contact us if you
would like to schedule a pediatric eye exam and discuss the best option for
your child.