Myopia, more commonly known as nearsightedness, is one of the most common correctable vision problems in the developed world. In the United States alone, cases of childhood myopia have more than doubled in the last fifty years. Nearly 30% of Americans have myopia.
Myopia is a common refractive error that affects distance vision and occurs when the eye is too long, or the front surface of the eye is too steep, causing light to focus in front of your retina instead of on it. Similar to an out of focus camera providing blurry images, you experience blurry vision. Myopia can be corrected using either glasses or contact lenses.
Myopia usually becomes progressively worse over time, which means myopic children typically require stronger prescriptions as they grow up.
Myopic eyes change continually throughout childhood, typically causing this refractive error to become worse over time, unless it is controlled. Clear vision can be achieved using glasses and contact lenses, but myopia can be controlled using a variety of methods including, prescription eye drops, specialized contact lenses, and multifocal glasses, all of which are available at Associates in Eyecare – Bristow.
Atropine eye drops cause the pupils to dilate and temporarily paralyze the accommodative muscles in our eyes that we rely on to focus. This helps control myopia in children which is typically caused by focusing fatigue, giving the eye muscles a chance to rest.
Studies have found that atropine drops can significantly slow the progression of myopia by as much as 81%, at least during the first year of treatment.
Ortho-K (orthokeratology) lenses are a type of specialty contact lenses designed to help control myopia. These rigid, gas-permeable lenses gently reshape the corneal as you sleep, providing you with clear vision the next day, without the need for glasses or contact lenses. The effects are temporary (the lenses must be worn each night) however, prolonged use has been found to effectively slow the progression of myopia.
These revolutionary contact lenses are designed for eyes that are both myopic and presbyopic and are engineered to relieve the strain of focusing on near objects, providing you with clear vision at distance and near. Multifocal contact lenses have also been shown to slow the progression of myopia in children.
Like multifocal contact lenses, multifocal glasses are designed for patients whose eyes are both myopic and presbyopic. The upper portion of the lens provides clear distance vision, while the lower portion allows you to focus clearly on near objects. Multifocal glasses reduce near strain and can control myopia in children.
Executive top bifocals are a type of glasses lenses that have been shown to reduce myopia progression in children. Like traditional bifocal lenses, the lens contains 2 prescriptions. The top portion corrects distance vision while the bottom portion is used for near vision. The dual prescriptions help reduce eye strain during near vision tasks, which helps to reduce myopia progression.
Are your eyes myopic or does your child have myopia? Speak to your optometrist during your next appointment to find out if myopia control is a good option for you and your family.
Making an appointment was easy. The staff is very friendly. The office is really clean. Didn’t feel rushed during the exam or pressured to purchase eyewear. Eyewear selection was very nice! I will recommend to my friends and family!
I live in Manassas now but I still come to the Associates in Eyecare in Bristow because I really trust them. The staff is always so friendly and while eyecare is always expensive, I feel like they really try to give me the best deal! I’ve been coming to them for a few years now with no plans on going anywhere else.
Been going here for several years and have always had a great experience! When I lost my vision insurance, I tried some the other “budget” places, but decided the care here at AIE is far superior and worth the extra cost. Dr. Colbourne has always been very friendly and caring and always seems to have my best interest in mind. Even though I don’t have vision insurance anymore, I’ll stay with AIE!!
Associates in Eyecare – Bristow is conveniently located in Bristow Center shopping mall between Anytime Fitness and Pizza Hut.
Associates in Eyecare - Bristow
