Your child needs to see clearly today, but we’re also thinking about how their eyes will change in the future. At Clear & Company Eye Care, Dr. Taylor Randich works with families to help slow myopia progression with personalized treatment options that fit each child’s eyes and everyday life.
Myopia Management in Harrisburg, NC
Does Your Child’s Prescription Keep Getting Stronger?
New eyeglasses can clear up blurry distance vision, but what happens when your child needs a stronger prescription again a year later? Myopia progresses as children grow, meaning their nearsightedness can worsen over time. Instead of only responding with stronger vision correction, myopia management gives us an opportunity to address how quickly their myopia is progressing.
What Are You Looking For?
Myopia FAQs
Myopia can’t currently be cured or reversed, but its progression can be slowed. Myopia control focuses on slowing the progression of your child’s nearsightedness while providing the vision correction they need to see clearly.
Possibly. Myopia management is designed to slow the progression of nearsightedness, but your child will still need appropriate vision correction. Depending on their treatment plan, that may mean glasses, daytime contact lenses, or ortho-k lenses worn overnight.
Myopia management typically continues while your child’s eyes are growing and their nearsightedness is still progressing. There isn’t one timeline that applies to every child, so Dr. Randich will guide you on when treatment should continue, change, or eventually stop.
Screen time alone doesn’t tell the whole story. Myopia is influenced by several factors, including genetics, eye growth, time spent outdoors, and prolonged near work. Because phones, tablets, computers, reading, and other close-up activities all involve near focus, we look at your child’s overall habits rather than blaming one device.
Spending more time outdoors is associated with a lower risk of children developing myopia and can be a healthy part of your child’s daily routine. However, outdoor time isn’t a replacement for myopia management.
What Is Myopia Management?
Myopia management, sometimes called myopia control, is a specialized approach to help slow the progression of nearsightedness in children. Rather than only correcting blurry distance vision, our eye doctor monitors how your child’s myopia is changing and uses treatments intended to slow its progression while keeping their vision clear.
The Importance of Slowing Myopia Progression
Higher levels of myopia are associated with an increased risk of eye conditions later in life, including retinal detachment, glaucoma, and myopic macular degeneration.
By slowing progression during childhood, we’re working to limit the extent of myopia development while your child’s eyes are still growing.
Causes of Myopia Progression
There isn’t one single reason a child’s myopia progresses. Genetics can play a role, especially when one or both parents are nearsighted, but a child’s environment and daily habits matter too.
Time spent outdoors and prolonged near work are among the factors associated with the development and progression of myopia.
Myopia Management at Clear & Company Eye Care
Myopia management isn’t one-size-fits-all. Some children may do well with prescription eyeglasses, while others may benefit from contact lenses or atropine eye drops. Dr. Randich will evaluate your child’s eyes and the progression of their myopia before recommending an plan.
Orthokeratology
Ortho-K lenses work while your child sleeps. These custom contact lenses temporarily reshape the cornea so your child can wake up with clearer vision and go through much of the day without needing vision correction.
Contact Lenses
Soft myopia-control contact lenses combine everyday vision correction with myopia management. Your child wears them during the day, but the lenses are designed to help slow the progression of nearsightedness.
Stellest® Lenses
For children who prefer glasses, Stellest® lenses offer vision correction and myopia management in one pair. These spectacle lenses help your child see clearly while also helping slow myopia progression.
Atropine Drops
Low-dose atropine eye drops can help slow the progression of myopia. Because atropine doesn’t provide vision correction, your child will still need eyeglasses or contact lenses to see clearly.
What to Expect From Myopia Management
Myopia management is ongoing care, not a one-time prescription. We’ll start by evaluating your child’s vision, eye health, and how their myopia has been changing. Dr. Randich will then recommend an appropriate treatment and monitor your child to see how their eyes respond.
A stronger prescription each year is one reason to ask about myopia management, but it isn’t the only one. Children who develop nearsightedness at a younger age or have nearsighted parents may also benefit from an eye evaluation. Our Harrisburg optometrist can assess how your child’s vision is changing and help you decide whether it’s time to take a more proactive approach.
Protect Your Child’s Future Vision
Myopia may progress as your child grows, but you don’t have to simply watch their prescription get stronger. Dr. Randich offers personalized myopia management for families in Harrisburg and surrounding communities. Schedule an evaluation to find out which approach may be right for them.