Myopia Management | Wichita, KS

Stop Myopia in Its Tracks with The Eye Gallery

Myopia, also known as nearsightedness, is a refractive error that causes distant objects to appear blurry. Myopia is common in the US, affecting at least 30% of the population.

The exact cause of myopia is complex, but recent studies have shown that it is becoming more common among children. It is believed that it’s likely a combination of genetics and environmental factors that lead to the development of myopia.

Myopia is easily diagnosed during a comprehensive eye exam. Because children’s eyes are constantly changing, it is recommended that they have an eye exam each year, especially once they enter school.

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What Causes Myopia?

Myopia occurs when the light that enters the eye lands in front of the retina—the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye—instead of directly on it. This causes blurry vision, particularly for distant objects.

Myopia generally begins in childhood and is often diagnosed between the ages of 8 and 12. The error progresses as the eyes grow, but stabilizes between the ages of 20 and 30.

Myopia has been connected to several contributing factors, including too much near work (like reading or screen time), genetics, over- or under-corrected vision (i.e., wearing the wrong prescription), and a lack of outdoor time.

Risks of Progressive Myopia

Myopia is concerning for 2 reasons: it causes progressively worsening vision in childhood, and it increases the lifetime risk of developing certain eye diseases, such as cataracts, myopic maculopathy, and retinal detachment.

Myopia progression refers to the continued worsening of your child’s eyesight as their eye continues to elongate, growing longer than a non-myopic eye. This causes their eye to stretch, increasing the risk of serious vision conditions and making their prescription higher with each eye exam.

In children with progressive myopia, new glasses become expected with every eye exam. Each year, their lenses get thicker, and their natural eyesight becomes increasingly blurry. Myopia management aims to slow this progression, preserving their vision, reducing prescription changes, and slowing eye elongation.

How Is Myopia Treated?

There is no cure for myopia. Nearsightedness is typically corrected with glasses or contact lenses to provide clear vision during wear. However, standard, single-vision eyewear does not prevent myopia from worsening during childhood.

Myopia management refers to the process of controlling or slowing myopia progression in kids and teens. Myopia management works by sending signals to the eye to direct eye growth, helping to prevent elongation. It cannot be used to reverse changes to the eye shape or prescription after they’ve occurred, which is why myopia management is used on children and adolescents who are still growing.

Our myopia management methods include specialty contact lenses, glasses, and eye drops that slow the progression of nearsightedness.

Stellest spectacle lenses designed by Essilor are the first FDA-approved eyeglass lenses to slow myopia progression. These lenses use a specialized design with a central vision area that corrects your child’s nearsightedness and 1,021 invisible lenslets around the outer lens that help signal to the eye to slow myopia progression.

The lenses slow myopia progression by 71% on average over 2 years of wear, compared to single vision glasses. They can be cut to fit into most frames, so your child can still choose their style.

Orthokeratology contact lenses (ortho-k) are specialized contact lenses worn overnight to provide clear, glasses-free vision during the day. They work by flattening the cornea while you sleep, so light is focused correctly. However, the results are temporary as the eye will slowly go back to normal when you stop using them.

Ortho-k lenses have been shown to reduce myopia progression by about half, compared to single vision lenses.

MiSight 1 day lenses are soft daily disposable contact lenses that are designed to slow myopia progression. Similar to multifocal contacts, MiSight includes different treatment zones or prescriptions within a single contact lens.

MiSight lenses are FDA-approved for myopia management and slow myopia progression by 59% on average, compared to single vision contact lenses. Children can begin wearing contact lenses when they are responsible enough to manage them, a decision you, your optometrist, and your child can make together.

Beyond MiSight, we also fit children for other multifocal soft contact lenses, such as NaturalVue Multifocal 1 Day and multifocal toric lenses for children with astigmatism.

The soft contact lenses we choose for your child’s treatment will depend on their prescription, eye exam results, needs, and preferences. We’ll guide you throughout the process.

There is promising evidence that shows that nightly use of low-dose atropine drops can slow the progression of myopia in children. These eye drops are administered before bed and cause the pupils to dilate slightly.

Atropine eye drops can be a great choice for children who are too young for contact lenses or as part of a combination treatment.

Help Your Child See Life Clearly with Myopia Control

If your child has been diagnosed with myopia, Dr. Baldwin, Dr. Nola, and our team of eye care professionals at The Eye Gallery are happy to discuss the benefits of and options for myopia management. By preserving your child’s vision today, you are helping to prevent serious concerns in the future.

Please book an appointment so we can perform a full, comprehensive eye exam and go over the options that make sense for your child.

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