When you have a child with myopia, also known as nearsightedness, the condition often progresses more quickly than it does with adults. Kids with myopia often have worse nearsightedness as adults than they would if they started having myopia as an adult. However, there are ways that the progression of myopia in kids can be slowed with the application of certain treatments.
Myopia control is a common way to help kids have better sight as adults than they would without it, but they cannot reverse the amount of change that has already been done to their vision. If you or your child have concerns about myopia, schedule an appointment with one of our eye doctors at Greenwich Eye Care.
Atropine Eye Drops
For children with myopia, a low dose of atropine, delivered in eye drops, can help slow the progression of this condition. These drops have to be applied exactly as the eye doctor instructs, which is usually the administering of the drops every night at bedtime. This can take a little time for kids to get used to, as they may not like the eye drops at first.
However, as they find that the eye drops don't bother them too much, they generally get used to them and are fine with them being administered. These drops can significantly slow down myopia progression or even stall it for a while. Then, as the child grows up, they won't have the same degree of nearsightedness that they would have without the treatments.
Orthokeratology
Orthokeratology, commonly called ortho-k, is another treatment for myopia control. Instead of an eye drop, it's a pair of specialty contact lenses that are only worn part-time. The optometrist prescribes these contacts for children and they are only worn at night while the child is sleeping. They are inserted at bedtime and removed after waking in the morning.
These contacts gently reshape the cornea of the eyes so that the patient’s vision is improved temporarily. This can also help the child have a slower progression of myopia over time. With these contacts, it's usually not necessary to wear glasses during the day to correct the vision because the contacts do the correcting at night.
See Our Optometrists for Myopia Control in Old Greenwich, CT
These treatments can help get the condition's progression under control. The first step towards myopia control is a comprehensive eye exam with an optometrist. To make an appointment for your child and to discuss these options, call Greenwich Eye Care today at (203) 698-5049.