Myopia, or nearsightedness, is a very common eye condition that causes a person to be unable to see objects clearly from a distance. This condition affects an estimated 30% of the world population today, and that number is projected to grow to as much as 50% by 2050.
But did you know that, beyond poor eyesight, myopia can also pose a long-term threat to your kid’s vision and eye health? Eye doctors warn that significant data points to a connection between myopia and development of potentially sight-threatening eye conditions, such as glaucoma and macular degeneration, later in life.
Fortunately, our Brentwood eye doctors offer extensive pediatric eye care, including contact lenses meant to address myopia and stop or slow its progression. Want to know more about contact lenses for myopia? Take a look below!
Contacts That Can Help With Myopia
Finding the right type of contact lens to help your child with their myopia starts with a comprehensive eye exam with our local optometrist at Ballard Vision Associates. Once we’ve taken a look at your kid’s eyes, we’ll be able to assess how best to help.
Here are some of the most popular options available to help your child:
Orthokeratology (Ortho-k)
Ortho-k lenses are a special type of contacts that are worn at night, which gently reshape your cornea as you sleep. This allows you to wake up the next morning and enjoy improved vision for the whole day without further need for contacts or glasses.
Ortho-k lenses have also been shown to slow the progression of myopia in kids.
The daily effects of these lenses are temporary, so it is essential that they be worn every night to maximize their ability to improve your child’s vision, as well as slow their myopia progression significantly.
Bifocal and Multifocal Contact Lenses
Though primarily meant to treat vision problems associated with presbyopia, bifocal and multifocal lenses have proven to be effective also in slowing myopia progression.
Specifically, bifocal and multifocal lenses that have distance vision correction in the center and near vision correction on the sides have been shown to stop or significantly slow children’s myopia.
Unfortunately, there is no way to cure myopia. Glasses and contacts can help correct vision, but often don’t prevent vision from getting worse, leaving your child vulnerable to eye disease later in life. Find out more about how myopia management can change this, and preserve your child’s long-term vision and eye health.
Contact our Brentwood eye doctors at Ballard Vision Associates today!
Q&A With Your Local Eye Doctor
Does myopia management work for adults?
Though myopia management is primarily effective in children, some research has shown that it can still be helpful for adults as well. Primary methods of adults myopia management include ortho-k lenses and multifocal glasses and contacts.
Can myopia cause blindness?
Most of the time myopia does not cause significant short-term vision loss beyond the characteristic nearsightedness. However, an extreme form of myopia, known as degenerative myopia, is a leading cause of legal blindness. Fortunately, it is quite rare, affecting only 2% of the population. Nonetheless, comprehensive eye exams are essential to ensure that myopia doesn’t cause significant vision loss.