Worldwide, more than a billion people have myopia (nearsightedness), and that number appears to be rising. Perhaps even more alarming, children appear to be leading the trend.
Myopia isn’t “just” about having difficulty seeing objects far away. Even mild myopia can take a toll on a child’s quality of life, and in severe cases, myopia can even lead to permanent loss of vision.
At Vision and Ortho-K Center, Dr. Curtis Frank offers comprehensive vision care services for patients of all ages, including myopia control to help children avoid severe complications. If your child has been diagnosed with myopia, here’s when to consider myopia control treatment.
Clear vision at all distances relies on an optimal eyeball shape that allows light to enter the eye and reach the retina at precise locations. Changes in eyeball shape cause light to focus either in front of the light-sensitive retina or beyond it, causing blurriness.
If you have myopia, that means you can see close objects clearly (or relatively clearly), while more distant objects appear blurry. This happens when the eyeball is deeper than usual or the clear cornea at the front of the eye is unusually deep or steep, causing light to focus in front of the retina.
Nearsightedness is associated with genetic risk factors. Specifically, when myopia affects one or both parents, the child is more likely to have myopia, as well. Experts also think that close-up work, like using a computer screen or lots of reading, can increase the risk of myopia and so can not spending enough time outdoors in natural light.
Myopia can affect children of any age — even preschool kids. Symptoms often become increasingly worse during the teenage years as a child grows. What’s more, myopia progresses at different rates depending on each child’s unique risk factors and other influences.
If your child is nearsighted, it’s important to explore myopia control early to avoid potential problems with school and development, especially when myopia is progressing rapidly or your child has risk factors for myopia. Even mildly blurry vision can make it hard for your child to follow along in class or to take part in sports or other activities that support strong social development.
Dr. Frank offers myopia control using special contact lenses called orthokeratology (Ortho-K) contacts. Ortho-K contact lenses are worn overnight while your child sleeps. The contacts are designed to gently reshape the cornea, reducing myopia symptoms.
Ortho-K contact lenses are gas permeable, which means it’s safe to wear them during sleep. Lenses are individually fitted to your child’s eyes so they’re comfortable, safe, and effective.
Myopia can cause serious vision problems that affect your child’s future and their quality of life. To learn how myopia control can help, call to request an appointment with Dr. Frank and our team at Vision and Ortho-K Center in Boston or Newton Upper Falls, Massachusetts.
