Myopia Management

What Is Myopia?

Myopia, or nearsightedness, is a progressive condition that causes faraway objects to appear blurry. Kids whose parents have myopia are more likely to develop it as well, but environmental factors can also increase the likelihood of myopia.

For clear vision, your eyes must focus light directly on your retina. With myopia, the light rays are focused in front of the retina, either because the eyeball is too long or the cornea is too steep.

Beyond vision errors, myopia also increases the risk of developing complications such as cataracts, glaucoma, and retinal detachment later in life. We use technology to help manage myopia in children and slow its progression, reducing these risks.

Protect your child’s sight now and in the future. Schedule an appointment to discuss your child’s vision.

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What Does Myopia Management Do?

Myopia often appears in childhood and progresses as the child grows before stabilizing in adulthood. In the past, glasses were the only solution for nearsightedness. While wearing traditional glasses corrects the refractive errors caused by myopia, they don’t provide the feedback needed by the eyes to slow myopia progression.

Today, we have treatment technologies that help by refocusing both the central and peripheral vision on the retina and signalling to the eye to stop growing. With these interventions, we can slow the progression of myopia and reduce the risk of complications that can damage future vision.

Myopia management is most effective when started early, as vision changes cannot be reversed. If your child is nearsighted, we’re happy to discuss different options that will help improve their vision.

How We Diagnose & Treat Myopia

As myopia affects clear vision, children may show signs like squinting at the whiteboard or TV and struggling to see faraway objects. It’s common, however, for kids not to recognize that their vision is different from anyone else’s. That’s why regular eye exams are essential in diagnosing myopia.

In addition to not seeing far objects clearly, other signs of myopia include an elongated eyeball and/or an unusually steep curve of the front of the eye (the cornea). We use diagnostic technology to measure the length and curvature of the eye as part of our comprehensive eye exams.

If we notice signs of myopia, we’ll discuss different treatment options. We carry special brands of glasses and contact lenses that are designed to slow myopia and correct vision. Depending on your child’s age, preferences, activity level, and anatomy, we’ll determine which option fits their needs.

Diagnostic Technology

MYAH: a diagnostic device that can measure axial length, the distance from the front of the cornea to the back of the eye. This measurement is a key indicator of myopia and its progression, as the longer the eye grows, the higher its myopia and prescription grow.
Topography: Corneal topography measures the curvature of the cornea. This can show refractive errors due to the curve, and is necessary to fit contact lenses, including those used for myopia management.

Treatment Technology

MiYOSMART Lenses: Glasses designed by Hoya that correct your child’s vision, slow the progression of myopia, and can accommodate high prescriptions.
Stellest Lenses: Glasses designed by Essilor that correct your child’s vision and slow the progression of myopia by 67%.
Abiliti Contact Lenses: These daily contact lenses are designed for kids and include 2 specialized treatment zones. One zone corrects vision while the other slows myopia progression.
MiSight Contact Lenses: Soft daily contact lenses that help to slow myopia progression in children who begin wearing them at ages 8–12.
Atropine Eye Drops: Low-dose atropine eye drops are administered daily to your child to slow the progression of myopia.

MiYOSMART Lenses for Myopia Management

MiYOSMART is an innovative glasses lens developed to treat myopia, designed by Hoya and Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Studies show that MiYOSMART’s Defocus Incorporated Multiple Segments (D.I.M.S.) technology can reduce myopia progression by an average of 60%.

MiYOSMART lenses are available for a wide range of prescriptions. Its large lens diameter and optimized thickness improve the look and function of these glasses.

We are proud to be a certified MiYOSMART specialist. We’re happy to discuss how MiYOSMART could help manage your child’s myopia.

Healthy Habits at Home Can Slow Myopia

Habits such as extended time on close-up tasks like reading and tablet use show a correlation with an increased rate of myopia in children. To help reduce the risk of myopia due to environmental factors, reduce your children’s screen time and encourage them to spend more time outdoors.

We recommend getting the whole family outside as much as you can. Make time to go for a walk or bike ride, or play outside together. Even in the winter, getting outside is good for their eyes and bodies, and can help you decrease your stress as well.

Modelling healthy habits such as taking screen breaks, prioritizing time outdoors, and maintaining good lighting while reading or on screens can help your children take care of their eyes from a young age.

Protect Your Child’s Vision Today

Once vision changes occur, they cannot be reversed. Myopia management helps to slow those changes and protect your child’s vision and eye health for the future. Early diagnosis and management of myopia can greatly increase your child’s quality of life.

Protect your child’s vision for the future and book their eye exam today.

Request Appointment