Help Bring Your Child’s World Into Focus
Myopia, also known as nearsightedness, is a refractive error that makes distant objects appear blurry while nearby objects remain in focus. Myopia affects nearly 30% of Americans, making it the most common vision problem in the US.
Myopia generally first occurs in school-aged children. However, myopia is becoming more common in younger children, putting them at greater risk of developing high myopia. High myopia is associated with retinal detachment, glaucoma, cataracts, and myopic maculopathy.
Because of these risks, research into preventing myopia is ongoing and extensive. Fortunately, there are a number of myopia management methods that are efficient at preventing myopia progression in children.
What Causes Myopia?
Myopia occurs when there’s an error in how light is focused in the eyes.
Light entering a “normal” eye is bent by the cornea, through the pupil to the lens. The lens then focuses the light on the retina. The retina converts this light into neural signals, sending this information along the optic nerve to the brain as clear images.
An eye with myopia has grown too long or has a cornea that is too steep. When this happens, light is focused in front of the retina instead of directly on it, making distant objects appear blurry.
Genetics & Environment
So what causes this abnormal eye growth in the first place? Several factors are thought to contribute to myopia development: a genetic predisposition, environmental factors, increased near work, and a lack of time spent outdoors during childhood.
Some studies suggest that increasing time outdoors can efficiently prevent or postpone myopia, but it does not reverse the error if already present. Instead, mechanical and medical methods of slowing myopia are readily available and effective.
Myopia Control Methods at Advanced Eye Physician
There is no cure for myopia, but it can be managed with eyeglasses, contact lenses, or refractive eye surgery. However, to prevent myopia from becoming high myopia and reduce the risk of complications, Advanced Eye Physician offers you and your child a couple of options for controlling myopia progression.
CRT (Corneal Refractive Therapy)
CRT (corneal refractive therapy) lenses are specialized contact lenses worn overnight that flatten the cornea. When the lenses are removed in the morning, the wearer should have clear vision without corrective lenses throughout the day.
These lenses are also one of the most effective methods for controlling myopia. CRT lenses correct myopia while leaving peripheral myopic defocus, acting as a signal to slow eye growth and myopia progression.
Soft Contact Lenses
Soft bifocal and multifocal contact lenses are contact lenses with more than one prescription. When the lens has a center-distance design (the central area of the lens designed for distance vision), they leave peripheral myopic defocus and signal the eye to slow growth.
Like CRT, soft multifocal and bifocal contact lenses are also one of the most effective methods for controlling myopia.