Myopia Management
Helping Protect Your Child’s Vision for the Future
Is your child’s glasses prescription getting stronger every year?
For many children, nearsightedness—or myopia—does more than simply make distant objects blurry. Myopia has been found to be directly correlated with the length of the eye, impacting the overall health of its internal tissues. Myopia often progresses as a child grows, causing the prescription to become increasingly stronger over time and increasing risk to ocular health.
At Hidden Valley Eye Care, our goal is not only to help your child see clearly today but to also keep their eyes as stable and healthy as possible. Through myopia management, we can take steps to slow the progression of nearsightedness and help protect their long-term eye health and keep their prescription stable.
We offer several myopia management options, including MiSight® 1 day contact lenses, Essilor® Stellest® lenses, Orthokeratology (Ortho-K), and atropine therapy. Because every child is different, we develop an individualized treatment plan based on their prescription, age, eye health, lifestyle, and rate of myopia progression.
Myopia Is More Than Just a Stronger Prescription
Myopia commonly develops as the eye grows too long from front to back, a process known as axial elongation. When the eye becomes longer than it should be, light focuses in front of the retina instead of directly on it, causing distant objects to appear blurry.
As a child's myopia progresses, the eye typically continues to elongate. This is important because the concern isn't simply that your child may need stronger glasses—the physical structure of the eye is changing.
The greater the axial elongation, the more the tissues at the back of the eye can become stretched and stressed. Over a lifetime, increasing levels of myopia are associated with a greater risk of eye conditions such as retinal detachment, myopic macular degeneration, glaucoma, and cataracts.
This is why modern myopia care focuses on more than providing a clearer prescription.
Our goal with myopia management is to slow the progression of myopia and, whenever possible, reduce the rate of excessive eye growth during childhood.
Why Does Slowing Myopia Matter?
Traditional glasses and contact lenses can correct blurry vision, but standard lenses generally do not address the underlying progression of myopia.
Myopia management takes a different approach. Rather than simply correcting your child's vision as their prescription changes, treatment is designed to slow that change over time.
Even if we cannot completely stop myopia from progressing, reducing the amount of progression can mean a lower final prescription and less axial elongation as your child grows.
That's why we believe myopia management is about more than helping your child see the board at school today—it's about taking a proactive approach to the long-term health of their eyes.
Our Myopia Management Options
There is no single treatment that is right for every child. Hidden Valley Eye Care offers multiple evidence-based options so treatment can be customized for your child.
MiSight® 1 Day Contact Lenses
MiSight® 1 day lenses are daily disposable soft contact lenses specifically designed for children with myopia.
The lenses provide clear distance vision while incorporating specialized treatment zones designed to slow myopia progression.
Because they are daily disposable lenses, children start with a fresh pair each day without the need for cleaning or storing their contacts overnight.
MiSight may be a great option for children who:
-
Are interested in wearing contact lenses
-
Participate in sports or other activities where glasses can be inconvenient
-
Are responsible enough to handle daily contact lens wear
-
Would benefit from simultaneous vision correction and myopia management
MiSight was the first soft contact lens FDA approved in the United States to slow the progression of myopia in children.
Essilor® Stellest® Lenses
For children who prefer glasses, Stellest lenses offer myopia management in a spectacle lens.
Stellest lenses look and function much like regular eyeglasses but incorporate specialized lens technology designed to create a myopia-slowing signal while providing clear central vision.
This makes Stellest an exciting option for younger children and children who may not be ready for contact lenses.
Stellest lenses may be especially appealing for families looking for:
-
A non-contact-lens treatment
-
Simple day-to-day use
-
Myopia management incorporated directly into the child’s glasses
-
An option for younger children
Stellest lenses are FDA authorized in the United States to correct myopia and slow its progression in children ages 6–12 when treatment is initiated.
Orthokeratology (Ortho-K)
Imagine your child being able to see clearly throughout the day without wearing glasses or contact lenses during waking hours.
Orthokeratology, commonly called Ortho-K, uses specially designed rigid contact lenses that are worn while sleeping. The lenses gently reshape the front surface of the eye overnight.
In the morning, the lenses are removed, allowing many patients to see clearly throughout the day without glasses or daytime contact lenses.
The specialized optical effect created by Ortho-K can also help slow myopia progression.
Ortho-K can be particularly attractive for children who:
-
Play sports
-
Swim or participate in outdoor activities
-
Prefer not to wear glasses
-
Don't want to wear contact lenses during the day
-
Are comfortable wearing and caring for overnight lenses
Because Ortho-K lenses are custom designed for each patient's eyes, careful fitting and regular follow-up are important parts of treatment.
Atropine Therapy
Low-dose atropine eye drops may also be used as part of a myopia management program.
Atropine is typically placed in the eyes at home on a regular schedule and can help reduce the rate at which myopia progresses in some children.
Unlike MiSight, Stellest, or Ortho-K, atropine does not primarily provide vision correction. Your child will generally still need glasses or contact lenses to see clearly.
Depending on the child, atropine may be used on its own or considered alongside another myopia management strategy.
Our doctors will discuss whether atropine is appropriate for your child as well as its potential benefits, limitations, and possible side effects.
Which Myopia Treatment Is Best for My Child?
The answer depends on the child.
A treatment that works well for an active 12-year-old who wants to stop wearing glasses may be very different from the best option for a 7-year-old who has just developed myopia.
During a myopia management evaluation, we consider factors such as:
-
Your child’s age
-
Current prescription
-
How quickly the prescription has been changing
-
Family history of myopia
-
Eye health
-
Lifestyle and activities
-
Contact lens readiness
-
Previous myopia progression
-
Your family's treatment preferences
We can then discuss the advantages and disadvantages of MiSight, Stellest, Ortho-K, and atropine therapy and recommend an individualized treatment plan.
Monitoring More Than Just the Prescription
Successful myopia management requires ongoing monitoring.
Rather than simply asking whether your child needs stronger glasses, we want to evaluate how their myopia is progressing over time.
Regular follow-up allows us to evaluate the response to treatment and determine whether the current approach should be continued or modified.
When Should Myopia Management Start?
In general, earlier intervention gives us more opportunity to slow progression during the years when a child's eyes are actively growing.
You may want to schedule a myopia management evaluation if:
-
Your child has recently been diagnosed with myopia
-
Their prescription seems to increase every year
-
They developed myopia at a young age
-
One or both parents are nearsighted
-
You have been told your child may be at increased risk for progressive myopia
-
You would like an alternative to simply prescribing stronger glasses each year
You don't need to wait until your child has a high prescription to ask about myopia management.
Take a Proactive Approach to Your Child’s Myopia
A stronger prescription every year doesn't have to be something we simply watch happen.
Modern myopia management gives us several options for slowing the progression of nearsightedness while helping children see clearly and comfortably.
At Hidden Valley Eye Care, we offer MiSight® 1 day, Essilor® Stellest® lenses, Ortho-K, and atropine therapy, allowing us to create a treatment strategy tailored to your child rather than relying on a one-size-fits-all approach.