Celebrating Myopia Awareness Week: Transforming Vision Care through Myopia Management

As we observe Myopia Awareness Week from May 13 to May 19, 2024, it's an opportune moment to reflect on our significant strides for children with nearsightedness and in myopia management. At Innovative EyeCare, we're dedicated to not just correcting vision but fundamentally transforming the way we approach myopia, especially in children.

Understanding myopia

Myopia, also known as nearsightedness, is when far-away things look blurry. It usually happens in kids when their eyes grow too quickly. Myopia can get worse fast as children grow. Several things can cause it, like family history, spending a lot of time on activities like reading or using screens up close, and not enough time playing outside. Regular eye check-ups are important to catch and manage myopia early, helping to keep your child’s vision from getting worse.

Why Myopia Management Matters

Myopia, or nearsightedness, affects a child's social life, sports, and school performance and can also lead to serious eye problems. It increases the risk of conditions like retinal detachment, glaucoma, and macular degeneration. High myopia, in particular, is linked to cataracts and myopic maculopathy. Children with worsening myopia may face more severe eye issues later in life. Regular eye exams and proper treatment are crucial to manage and reduce these risks, improving their quality of life and future eye health. Early intervention can lead to much better vision outcomes.

Myopia Awareness Week is a great time to recognize our progress and our commitment to protecting children's vision.

Early detection and prevention strategies

Early detection and prevention strategies are crucial in managing myopia effectively. Regular eye exams are recommended to catch any vision changes early on. When a child does become myopic, it is important to start intervention as soon as possible. Children should have their first eye exam at six months old, then again at age three, and before starting first grade. Kids don't always know what blurry vision is and how to communicate it to their parents. Encouraging outdoor activities and limiting screen time can also help prevent myopia progression. Providing adequate lighting and proper posture when reading or using digital devices can reduce eye strain and the potential development of myopia.

The evolution of myopia management

Traditionally, the primary method for managing myopia (nearsightedness) in children involved the use of single-vision glasses. These glasses corrected distance vision but did nothing to address the progression of myopia. This is what I was prescribed in the 90's. Year after year, many children, like myself, would find their vision worsening, often requiring stronger prescription glasses.

I vividly remember my own struggles with high myopia. The world beyond right in front of my face was a blur—a challenge that impacted every aspect of life, from academics to sports. Each year, my vision deteriorated, a familiar yet disheartening progression for many experiencing severe myopia.

Myopia management has evolved to focus on newer methods beyond just prescribing glasses. Recent studies also suggest spending more time outdoors can help reduce the risk of myopia development in children. Orthokeratology, where specially designed lenses are worn at night to reshape the cornea, has gained popularity for correcting nearsightedness and slowing down myopia progression. Compounded, low-dose atropine eye drops in various concentrations, have shown results but they are mixed and varied with NIH studies and the patient still needs an optical correction. Multifocal soft contact lenses, originally designed for adults who need assistance with reading both at a distance and up close, were adapted to help slow down the progression of myopia in children. For quite some time, these were the only available options. Back then, myopia management was a novel concept, only peripherally understood and rarely practiced.

Today, however, it's a game changer for countless children, providing them with options to significantly slow the progression of their myopia. In 2019, the US FDA approved of CooperVision MiSight contact lenses to official slow the progression of nearsightedness in children, creating a new category, myopia control.

These advancements in myopia management aim to provide more effective options for maintaining healthy vision.

Myopia Management Today

At Innovative EyeCare, we utilize the latest advancements in myopia management. Our approach includes orthokeratology (ortho-k) to specialty contact lenses designed specifically for myopia control like MiSight, and custom-designed lenses for children with more complex prescriptions. We monitor each child's eye growth and adjust treatment as necessary. These interventions not only improve daily quality of life but are also crucial in preventing long-term ocular diseases associated with high myopia, such as retinal detachment and glaucoma.

Collaborative approach to myopia management

At Innovative EyeCare, we work closely with pediatric ophthalmologists and optometrists to provide comprehensive myopia management. By combining our expertise, we develop tailored treatment plans to effectively manage myopia progression. This teamwork ensures that every patient receives the highest standard of care, leveraging effective communication and shared knowledge among specialists to achieve the best possible outcomes.

Join Us in Making a Difference

If your child is experiencing vision issues, or if you're looking for proactive ways to manage their myopia, visit us at Innovative EyeCare to book a myopia consultation.

This Myopia Awareness Week, let's focus on the future—clearer, healthier vision for our children. Act now for your children to see tomorrow!