Family Eyecare Solutions, an optometry practice specializing in vision therapy, myopia control, and post-concussion vision syndrome and led by Development Optometrist Laura Vasilakos, OD, FCOVD, reports that myopia rates in children and young adults are rising around the world but that prevention and treatment are available.
Myopia is also called nearsightedness. To be nearsighted means that you are literally “near-sighted” — you can see nearby objects clearly, but distant objects look blurry. Causes of myopia can be heredity, too much time spent on computers and cell phones, lack of sunlight exposure, and poor eye teaming and focusing. Children who spend more than 7 hours a week using computers and mobile video games triple their risk for myopia.
The younger the child develops myopia, the worse the myopia may become. Once myopia starts, it’s irreversible. So, it is important to be proactive and start myopia control once diagnosed. Single vision eyeglasses and contact lenses do not slow down the progression of myopia. In children, it’s common for prescriptions for glasses & contact lenses to grow stronger each year. During the ages of 6-12, children’s eyes are growing the fastest.
Myopia can increase your child’s risk of certain sight-threatening eye diseases. Dr. Laura monitors myopia by measuring eye length, called axial length. Monitoring axial length can be crucial in predicting the progression of myopia, especially in children, and in determining the appropriate treatment options. Longer axial lengths are often associated with higher degrees of myopia, which means that people with longer eyeballs are likely to have more severe nearsightedness.
One myopia control treatment option is an innovative technology that helps slow down the progression of myopia is MiSight® 1 day contact lenses from CooperVision. MiSight 1 day contact lenses with ActivControl® Technology not only correct nearsightedness – they’re also the first soft contact lenses proven to slow the progression of myopia in children aged 8-12 at initiation of treatment. When wearing MiSight 1 day contact lenses, age-appropriate children can experience clear vision, freedom from glasses and continue to enjoy the activities they love.
Another treatment option is Orthokeratology (also called Ortho-k) where children wear specially designed contact lens-like retainers while they sleep, remove when they get up, and then they can see without glasses or contact lenses. Research has proven that Ortho-K is effective at slowing progression of myopia.
Additionally, there is a topical drop called atropine that was first suggested as a means of slowing the progression of myopia in the 1920s; however, it was rarely prescribed at full strength due to its notable side effects: light sensitivity and blurred vision while reading. Since then, several studies have looked at the positive effects of atropine on myopia control while reducing the concentration and its negative side effects. Used nightly, low-dose Atropine eye drops can be a first line treatment or an adjunct to other forms of myopia control.
“With the increase in myopia in children we are pleased to be able to offer these life changing treatment programs to control the progression of myopia,” said Dr. Laura Vasilakos, founder of Family Eyecare Solutions. “Left untreated myopia has been shown to create significant health and vision problems for adults. It is wonderful progress when we can prevent and treat myopia early on.”
About Family Eyecare Solutions
Family Eyecare Solutions is an optometry practice specializing in vision therapy, myopia control, and post-concussion vision syndrome that was founded by Development Optometrist Laura Vasilakos, OD, FCOVD in 2018. Located at 51 Mill Street, Building E, Suite 21 B, in Hanover, Massachusetts, Family Eyecare Solutions serves patients from the surrounding areas of Randolph, Stoughton, Marshfield, Canton, Weymouth, Rockland, Sharon, Abington, Hingham, Hanover, Norwell, Cohasset, Pembroke, Plymouth, Quincy, and Kingston. For more information, please call 781-829-9400, email info@
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