What is Myopia Control?
Myopia Control refers to treatments discovered from extensive research to slow down progression of myopia in children. We know that the earlier myopia starts in children the higher the risk of high level of myopia in adulthood. The pace of myopia increases have been further exacerbated by screen time. Conventional spectacles or contacts are able to correct vision but unable to help decrease or slow the progression of myopia.
Myopia over -4.00 have an increased risk of retinal detachment, glaucoma, cataracts and other serious eye conditions especially into adulthood.
Children with myopia or other vision problems can experience delays in reading or other academic skills, difficulty with social interactions, and poor self-esteem.
Uncorrected myopia prevents performing daily tasks well, enjoying activities (sports) and contributes to clumsiness.
Uncorrected myopia causes persistent eyestrain and headaches.
Safety and the safety of other are jeopardized with
uncorrected vision problem.
In order to slow the progression of myopia, our clinic offers various management options based on age, hereditary, prescription, ocular health and ocular history
Hard gas permeable contact lens designed to be worn during the night and removed during waking hours. These custom lenses help gently change the shape of the cornea providing good vision throughout the day reducing the need for any lenses or spectacles. They are used to help slow progression of myopia in some patients.
Corneal topography maps (below) showing changes in cornea using these lenses.
Myopia Control glasses offer different modalities to control myopia however they all affect the peripheral stimulus to the eye which is believed to help slow down progression of myopia.
At our clinic we offer a variety of lenses to choose from varying from Stellest™, MiYOSMART, MyCon and Misight spectacle lenses.
These contact lenses have different zones with varying powers to help slow down the progression of myopia by controlling peripheral defocus.
At the Clinic we provide options like Misight or abiliti myopia control contact lenses.
Eye drops that are designed to be instilled daily. These low concentration atropine drops have been shown in studies to decrease the progression of eyeball lengthening.
These treatment protocols require periodic checks ie. initially possibly after 3 or 6 months so we can monitor changes in the length of the eye, the curvature of the cornea, the health of the eyes and prescription to make sure the treatment option is having its desired effect. We at Bay St Eyecare have advanced technology like MYAH to allow us to monitor these changes very accurately.
To summarize, the earlier we start myopia management options in children the greater the effect on controlling progression and decreasing the risk of ocular complications associated with myopia overall. Our doctors are passionate about meeting this goal and stay updated on the research to this end.
