Myopia is a very common vision condition that people of all ages can have. It often starts in childhood. When a child has myopia, also known as nearsightedness, it often progresses. By the time the child becomes an adult, he usually has a more stable vision prescription. It usually doesn't change much from year to year. However, for children, their eyesight can get worse more quickly. The goal of myopia management is to try to control the progression of nearsightedness. You can't reverse the problem in children. Adults can get laser surgery to correct it but children aren't candidates for this surgery. Instead, a myopia treatment can be used by an optometrist to get its progression under control. When your child needs an eye exam because of blurry vision, call our Clemson, SC, office for an appointment. We at Family Vision – Clemson are here to help.
Ortho-K Contact Lenses
This is a type of myopia treatment that can be a great way to slow or stop myopia's progression. These are nighttime contact lenses that are only worn while the child is sleeping. The contacts are put in at bedtime and removed when the child wakes up. These put some light pressure on the eyes that changes the shape of the eye a little bit. This means that the day after wearing them, the child won't need to wear glasses. Not only do these contacts offer this benefit, but they also can help keep the child's myopia from getting even worse. Wearing these regularly can be a good way to help a child to see as well as possible by the time he becomes an adult.
Medicated Eye Drops
There is an eye medication called atropine that can be applied to the eyes through eye drops. This is the same medication, in a different dosage, that dilates the eyes during an eye exam. It can keep myopia from getting worse when it is given to a child, daily, at night. The use of these eye drops has to be consistent for it to work. Many parents might find this type of myopia treatment to be easier than putting contacts on their child. The end result should be better vision than the child would've had without these eye drops.
Get an Eye Exam and Myopia Treatment from an Optometrist on Our Optometry Team
When it's time for an eye exam, call our optometry office in Clemson, SC, to make the appointment. It can be important to see an optometrist when a patient has blurry vision. An eye exam may also be needed regularly to monitor the progression of myopia and to find out whether the myopia treatment is working. We at Family Vision – Clemson are here to help. Call us at (864) 722-9205 for more information.
