Myopia, or nearsightedness, is a common condition that impacts how well people can see at a distance. It can have a significant impact on a person’s life and is often associated with other substantial vision problems. One of the earliest tell-tale signs of the condition is that a person will often squint to see people or objects that are far away from them.

Blurry vision due to myopia is the result of light rays focusing at a point in front of the retina rather than directly on its surface. However, the upward incidence of myopia can be attributed to different factors and can be a combination of these factors:

Orthokeratology

Ortho-K or Orthokeratology is one type of myopia control that may be effective for some patients. The treatment essentially works by placing a special contact lens over the eye at night while you sleep. During the night, the contact lens changes the corneal shape and forms it in the proper way. Once the lens is removed in the morning, the eye continues to temporarily maintain that shape throughout the day.

Learn more about OrthoK here

Coopervision’s MiSight

Dr. Day, Dr. Santa Elena, and Corina, our contact lens specialist, have been certified as part of the Brilliant Futures Myopia Management Program. Coopervision’s MiSight 1 day is the first and only contact lens FDA approved to slow the progression of myopia in children aged 8-12 at the initiation of treatment. Children can apply the soft, daily wear, single use contact lenses to their eyes in the morning, wear them for at least 10 hours during the day then dispose of in the evening.

Learn more about MiSight

Atropine Drops

Low-dose atropine eye drops are used alone, or in conjunction with Ortho-K or MiSight lenses, as a method to slow down the progression of myopia. Atropine is used to dilate the pupils and temporarily paralyze the muscles that focus the eyes. Higher concentrations are used to achieve this in cases of eye inflammation or trauma to prevent the eye muscles from spasming. Researchers have found that a very low concentration of atropine (0.05%) has been shown to slow down myopia with very few side effects. This means that there is a lower chance of your child experiencing an allergic reaction, glare, and near vision loss with this treatment. Atropine drops are instilled nightly in each eye on a daily basis. Since myopia progresses due to the length of the eye increasing, atropine has been shown to slow down elongation by 30-50%. This is important because longer, more stretched out eyes are at a higher risk of ocular complications, such as retinal detachments, maculopathies, and glaucoma.