Myopia is on the rise all over the world. According to recent studies, nearly half of the global population will be affected by myopia by the year 2050. However, there is help available.
If your sight is affected by myopia, please book an appointment with our team today. We can help assess the extent of your symptoms and provide you with meaningful solutions to manage your myopia.
Myopia, also commonly known as nearsightedness, is a refractive error that affects your ability to see long distances. Myopia develops as your eyes elongate in shape, causing light entering your eye to focus in front of your retina instead of on it.
Myopia is infrequently hereditary and research has suggested that spending too much time doing up-close tasks or not going outdoors may increase your risk of developing it. Currently, nearly 40% of the American population is affected by some degree of myopia.
Myopia can start developing in children as young as 3 years old, which can affect many aspects of their lives, including how they see and learn in school.
We recommend that your child has regular eye exams to help manage their symptoms of myopia. By detecting these issues early, your optometrist can recommend a variety of solutions and make the visual adjustments necessary to help your child remain confident in their vision.
The type of myopia control we recommend for your child will depend on their age and development, and what works for your family. Here are the types of myopia control we offer.
Atropine eye drops are a common treatment used to slow myopia progression. Atropine eye drops help relax the eye’s focusing mechanism, and can only be used when prescribed by a doctor. These drops are compounded by a local pharmacy and are used before bedtime. Dr. Fitch has been using atropine drops for over 15 years and found this to be highly beneficial to slow progression of myopia.
MiSight 1-Day disposable contacts are used to help manage symptoms of myopia in children. The contacts use rings of peripheral myopic defocus to help slow down myopia progression while also providing clear central vision.
Orthokeratology (Ortho-k) contact lenses are often used to help reduce the effect myopia has on your vision. These specialty contact lenses reshape the cornea while you sleep, allowing you to enjoy clear vision during the day without contact lenses or eyeglasses.
Multifocal contact lenses are also used to help slow the progression of myopia.
Focusing on a close-up object for too long while wearing contacts or glasses may cause your eyes to strain. When this happens, your eyes may elongate even further, resulting in more severe myopia.
Multifocal contacts correct your vision at all distances, reducing the progression of myopia.
Our doctors may recommend a combination of these therapies to manage the more aggressive myopic changes. Slowing down myopia in childhood has lifelong benefits in reducing the various diseases that result from myopia.
Multifocal glasses are worn just like normal eyeglasses, except the lenses are specially designed to slow myopia. They work by signalling to your child’s eye to stop growing longer.
If you’re looking for a meaningful solution for myopia, please don’t hesitate to book an appointment with our team today!
Find us just south of the Sheridan & Glen intersection, on the same side of the road as Marco’s Pizza and across the street from Walgreens.
Find us just south of the Sheridan & Glen intersection, on the same side of the road as Marco’s Pizza and across the street from Walgreens.
You can find our office on North Cummings Lane, right next door to Rock Valley Physical Therapy. We offer plenty of parking in front of our clinic with accessible parking stalls.
Closed for lunch 12-1pm
You can find our office on North Cummings Lane, right next door to Rock Valley Physical Therapy. We offer plenty of parking in front of our clinic with accessible parking stalls.
Closed for lunch 12-1pm
Peoria
Washington
