What Options Are Available in Myopia Management for Kids?

As a parent, making sure your kid’s eyes are healthy is important. Myopia, or nearsightedness, is when they have difficulty seeing things far away clearly. If not managed, it can worsen over time and cause bigger eye issues down the road.

Fortunately, there are simple options to help manage myopia in kids. Learning about these can help you make the best choices for your little one’s eye health.

What Exactly Is Myopia Management?

Myopia management is about taking steps to slow down nearsightedness from worsening in kids. It mixes specialized eyewear, contacts, and lifestyle changes to manage myopia and stop it from progressing too fast.
 

Taking these steps early can protect your child’s vision and lower their risk of future eye problems. The earlier you start, the better chance you have of keeping myopia under control before it advances too far.
 

Customized Eyewear for Clear Vision

One popular option is specialized eyewear. These custom lenses help kids see better and also slow down myopia progression. Multifocal lenses and ortho-k (orthokeratology) lenses are two kinds that can meet your child’s needs. The lenses gently reshape the eye over time to control myopia progression.
 

The Contact Lens Solution

For active kids who play sports or do not love wearing glasses, contacts can be great for myopia management. There are soft lenses, rigid gas-permeable ones, and ortho-k lenses. These contacts correct vision while also putting the brakes on myopia progression. Many kids prefer the freedom and convenience of contact lenses. No more smudgy glasses or twisted frames to worry about.

Prescription Eye Drops

Sometimes, your eye doctor may suggest atropine eye drops as part of managing myopia. Low-dose atropine drops can be effective at slowing myopia down by almost 50%. While these need to be used consistently with follow-up appointments, they can be a big help. The drops temporarily blur up-close vision to limit focusing fatigue on the eyes. It is like giving the eyes a little rest.

Simple Lifestyle Changes

On top of specialized eyewear and contacts, making a few easy lifestyle tweaks can play a huge role in myopia management. Encouraging your kiddo to spend more time outdoors and cutting back on screen time can stop myopia from worsening. These environmental changes have a major impact and can be simple but effective additions to your routine.

Myopia management is all about being proactive and taking steps early to protect your child’s vision for the long haul. It is important to work closely with your eye doctor to create a customized plan that is perfect for your child’s needs.

Do not be afraid to ask all the questions and explore every possible option. With the right approach, you can keep those bright eyes seeing clearly for years. Be consistent and patient — managing myopia takes teamwork but is worth it. After all, healthy vision is a precious gift for your little one.

For more on myopia management for kids, visit Woodley Optometry at our Encino, California, office. Call (818) 862-4800 to schedule an appointment today.