Most people do not know that if your eye doctor catches myopia early, they can help slow its progression. But more than that, it is vital to understand what myopia management means, why it is essential, and how to go about it. 

What Is Myopia?

Myopia or nearsightedness is a vision condition or refractive error that affects how you see distant objects. It causes you to see nearby things while those at a distance appear blurry. Nearsightedness occurs when the light entering your eye does not focus directly on your retina but in front of it. 

Light refracts differently due to a long eye shape. Typically, myopia develops during childhood. It worsens with the growth of the eye and its axial length. You may notice that your child acquires a worsening optical prescription during their teenage years. However, it eventually plateaus when their eye ceases to grow at age 20.

Myopia Management 

Myopia management entails slowing down nearsightedness progression in children through various methods. The eye can grow faster than usual to become a myopic eye. It becomes more elongated from its front to the back. Children with myopia can have progressive myopia—their eyes continue stretching and becoming longer. The refractive error worsens rapidly, especially in children.

Why Myopia Management Is Essential

Myopia management helps ensure long-term eye health. Children diagnosed with myopia tend to have it progress very fast. Managing it helps lower the risk of vision-threatening eye conditions and other eye problems.

Myopia management lowers the prescription number to better the patient’s quality of life by wearing thinner lenses. They also do not have to have frequent prescription changes in their childhood. In the case of future laser surgery, the results become more reliable for controlling myopia.

Treatment Options

An eye doctor often recommends myopia management measures. They help reduce the risk of complications that can cause high myopia, like retinal detachment and cataracts. 

• Atropine drops - Limit how the eye changes focus automatically by dilating the pupil. It helps reduce the progression of myopia in children. Doctors recommend giving it in low concentrations to your child at bedtime for myopia management.
• Multifocal contact lenses - Designed to help individuals with nearsightedness, astigmatism, or farsightedness.
• Multifocal eyeglasses - They work like multifocal contact lenses. Some studies show that wearing them slows myopia progression in children by 51 percent compared to conventional glasses.
• Orthokeratology - Gas permeable contacts designed for wearing overnight to reshape the cornea. It slows down myopia progression. It helps the wearer have clearer vision during the day without eyeglasses or contact lenses.
• Daily habits - Doctors recommend giving your child regular breaks from close-up activities like reading. Outdoor activities under the sun help ensure that eye growth becomes healthy to reduce myopia progression.

Take Care of Your Eye Health

It is vital to note that myopia management not only focuses on correcting the refractive error but also protects your eye health and long-term sight. Myopia progresses fast. Slowing its development reduces the risk of eye diseases threatening vision. Book an eye exam and begin management early.

For more about myopia management, visit Montebello Optometry, Eye Clinic & Dry Eye Center at our office in Montebello, California. Call (323) 772-5800 to book an appointment today.