Myopia, usually known as nearsightedness, is the inability of a person to see objects clearly which are far away from them. This usually happens when the eyeball becomes misshapen such that it is slightly longer than normal from front to back. This causes the light entering your eye to be focused improperly at the back of the eye, where it is processed and sent to the brain. This results in poor, blurry vision.
Dr. Ezra Cohen of Brooklyn, New York explains, “Children often have a form of myopia which progresses as they age, causing their sight to worsen throughout their childhood. It is usually up to parents to notice if their child is developing nearsightedness when they are younger, since most young children will not complain of poor sight, or will only complain about not being able to see things far away. Children should, therefore, be brought in regularly (at least once a year, from the age of 6 months) for a comprehensive eye exam to determine if they are nearsighted. These eye exams are essential for making sure that your child’s near sightedness is caught early on and does not handicap him/her in school or cause further damage by allowing their nearsightedness to go untreated. In most cases a child’s eyes will cease worsening in their late teens or early twenties.”
Progressive myopia is most often caused by genetics. This means that if you were nearsighted as a child, this increases your child’s likelihood of also being nearsighted as they grow up. Your child may also develop nearsightedness if they spend a great deal of time reading in low-light or doing detailed or close-up work.
“In most cases, children’s sight can be easily corrected by eyeglasses or contact lenses, and these prescriptions can be updated as needed to keep pace with changes in vision,” comments Dr. Cohen, “Although no solution has been proven conclusively, there are also a number of alternative treatments that may slow the progression of myopia in children. Among these is the possibility of prescribing corneal reshaping lenses, multifocal contact lenses, or orthokeratology. Much like a retainer for teeth, these contacts are put in at night before going to bed. The contacts then gently reshape the front surface of the eye as your child sleeps, and when they wake up in the morning they simply take out the lenses and enjoy improved vision for the day up to 20/20. Studies have shown that this type of therapy may actually slow the progression of myopia in children.”
For more about Myopia & Myopia Control in children, contact Dr. Cohen today!
The GP lenses for ortho-k are used at bedtime and worn while you sleep to gently reshape your eye (the cornea) to correct your vision, so you can see clearly without glasses or contacts
Soft bifocals are great for adults because they perform well for near and far distance and they come in various forms to best suit your visual needs.
With orthokeratology, you can have stable vision correction with unrestricted peripheral vision crucial for sports such as basketball and baseball.