Preventing Myopia With Specialized Care

Myopia, also known as nearsightedness, is the most widespread optical issue across the globe. In Canada, it affects nearly 30% of the population. Myopia cannot be cured, but its progression in children can be slowed with early intervention.

One study has shown that parents’ investment in their children’s eye health from an early age can help reduce myopia-related problems later in life. Bring your child in for regular eye exams, and, if needed, we can build myopia control into their optical treatment plan.

What is Myopia?

Myopia is a condition that is caused by a refractive error in the eye. If the eye is too long or the eye’s lens is too curved, light is unable to properly focus on the retina. This leads to difficulties focusing on objects at a distance, though vision up close, such as when reading, is not affected.

Signs of myopia include squinting, eye strain, headaches, and fatigue while reading, doing school work, or playing sports. Myopia can be corrected with glasses or contacts.

Risk Factors for Myopia Progression

There is no certain cause of myopia, but studies have suggested several risk factors for developing nearsightedness, including:

Reduced outdoor activity
Genetics
Increasing urbanization
Amount of time spent on close-up work or studying

Aids to Control Myopia

At our myopia control clinic, we keep up with the latest advancements in myopia control. There are different therapies available for slowing the progression of myopia in children.

Specialized Glasses, Contacts & Eye Drops

MiYOSMART Lenses

MiYOSMART Lenses are an award-winning eyeglass lens used to slow the progression of myopia in children. These lenses are non-invasive and easy for children to wear.

MiSight contacts

MiSight contacts are a new technology that has recently become available for myopia control in children 8 to 12 in Canada. These daily use contact lenses have proved effective in providing a sustained reduction in myopia progression.

0.01% Atropine Drops

Low-dose 0.01% Atropine drops have also proved effective in slowing myopia progression in children. These drops have been used to treat children at high risk for developing more serious myopia due to the early onset of their nearsightedness.

Why Do We Want to Control Myopia Progression

Myopic control is not just about reducing how bad your child’s vision gets or how thick your child’s glasses are (although these are important enough reasons), it is more about reducing your child’s risk of eye disease development that may result in vision loss. Myopia increases your child’s risk for eye diseases such as glaucoma, cataracts, retinal detachment, and macular degeneration. The rate or magnitude of your child’s nearsightedness progression influences the risk of disease development.

Can We Predict How Nearsighted my Child Will Become

Collaborative studies have been conducted on a global scale to help us predict how nearsighted your child will become. Most children’s eyes will progress on average -0.63D per year in myopia. However, we now have a myopic calculator available to use that takes into account your child’s age and current risk factors, such as race. We are even able to see how much we will be able to slow the myopic progression down based on the type of intervention initiated.