Nearsightedness in Kids: Prevention & Correction

Thanks to our partners at Vance Thompson Vision for sponsoring this article and sharing their expertise with us!

Nearsightedness (also called myopia) is one of the most common eye problems in kids today.

Like many moms, I think kids are just adorable in glasses! However, there’s better technology to help kids with nearsightedness, and it all happens while they are sleeping! Not only does it correct their vision, it even slows down prescription changes into adulthood. 

But before we can solve nearsightedness in your kiddo, we need to know exactly what is happening.

When Do Kids Become Nearsighted?

Myopia, commonly known as nearsightedness, is an eye condition that causes blurry distance vision. 

Historically, nearsighted individuals started wearing glasses sometime during our school age years and continue to need updated prescriptions as they age.

In 2008, 27% of people in the United States were myopic. Currently, over 40% of individuals are nearsighted and the average age of onset has shifted from 13 to 8 years old. This is largely attributed to our increased use of digital devices and less time outdoors. 

Unfortunately, once a child is nearsighted, they typically become more nearsighted each year through high school or even college.

Long-Term Effects of Early Childhood Nearsightedness

It’s important to know what’s going inside the eye when a child becomes increasingly nearsighted.  

As the eye becomes more myopic, it means that the eye itself is growing in axial length. Axial length is the measurement of the eye from the front to the back of the eyeball. When the eye gets longer, it stretches the retina. 

The stretching of this delicate tissue can lead to eye diseases and other risks like glaucoma, macular degeneration, retinal detachment, and early-onset cataracts. 

The younger the child is diagnosed with myopia, the more likely they are to become highly nearsighted and experience one of these visually devastating conditions later in life. 

Thankfully, there are ways to slow down or even halt progressing myopia. The practice of myopia control is gaining awareness across the country and has been utilized across the world for decades. Myopia Control is one of my favorite ways to care for young patients in the clinic!

Myopia Control Treatment

Orthokeratology is the method commonly used to treat nearsightedness in children. This treatment has been scientifically proven to reduce myopia progression through a custom-made contact lens.

Each specialty lens is designed based on the cornea shape and amount of nearsightedness. It’s worn at night while the child is sleeping and removed in the morning. The child can see clearly at school, the swimming pool, and hockey rink during the daytime with no vision correction!

The contact lens gently reshapes the front of the eye to correct vision and reduce the stimulus for the eye to get longer.

Kids LOVE their ‘orthoK’ lenses!

A child wears the lenses nightly until late teens or young adulthood, and then can consider other modes of vision correction.

By keeping their prescription stable, we’ve not only reduced their risk of eye disease, but kept them a better candidate for future options like LASIK!

In addition, we can use other special contact lenses and even certain eye drops to reduce the rate our eyes change, but I find OrthoK the most fun and rewarding for kids.

What do the kids have to say about it?

Other patients are a great resource for learning what myopia control is really like — below, Owen talks about his experience with Vance Thompson Vision and myopia control.

What’s Right for Your Kid?

All kids kindergarten-age and older should have a complete eye examination performed by an optometrist or ophthalmologist. While the screenings at the pediatrician are helpful, but do not cover all aspects of eye health, so be sure to have your kids see an eye care provider. 

We have many wonderful eye doctors in the Fargo-Moorhead area. If your child is nearsighted, ask your provider about ways to control myopia and how to be proactive to protect your kid’s vision well into adulthood.

Want more information on orthokeratology and myopic control for you kiddo? Dr. Brooke Messer is Vance Thompson Vision’s expert in orthoK treatment for kids. Reach out to Vance Thompson Vision to schedule an appointment!

About the Author:

Dr. Brooke Messer is passionate about educating patients and colleagues alike. She joined the Vance Thompson Vision team in Fargo in 2020 and is focusing on the management of cataract, glaucoma, cornea, and refractive surgery. In addition, she has a special interest in myopia control and orthokeratology contact lenses. Dr. Messer is a fellow of the American Academy of Optometry and Scleral Lens Education Society and is an advisor to the Gas Permeable Lens Institute. Outside of work, Dr. Messer and her husband, Bryan, stay busy chasing after their two children. She enjoys golfing, fishing, and visiting family back in her hometown.

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