What is myopia?
Myopia is nearsightedness, as in, you can see near. The focal point of an eye with no prescription is set for distance, technically infinity. The focal point of a myopic eye is set somewhere closer than infinity. This means that you could be slightly myopic and still see clearly far away, but there is a prescription that can make your distance vision in even better focus. Most myopic patients that wear glasses or contacts can see things like their phone or computer clearly, but anything beyond arms-length becomes more and more out of focus the further they get.
A myopic prescription is a minus prescription. If the "sphere" power of your prescription reads -1.50 for example, you are nearsighted. Think of your eye as being like reading glasses, therefore the power of the eye is +1.50, which means your glasses are -1.50 to negate that power and get to zero. If the power of your eye is +1.50 and your glasses are only -1.00, that will leave you with +0.50 of nearsightedness and a slight blur at distance. If you the power of your eye is +1.50 and your glasses are -2.00, that means they are too strong and it forces your eye muscle to contract to focus just to see distance. This could result in eyestrain and headaches.
We can determine the focal length of the eye based on the prescription and vice versa. It is a simple calculation that can go both ways: 100 divided by the focal length of the eye (in centimeters) equals the prescription. For example, if a patient can see clearly up until 25cm, but beyond that becomes blurry, then their prescription is 100 / 25cm = 4D or -4.00D. Vice versa, if a patient's prescription is -3.00D, then we know that they can see up to 33cm, but beyond that becomes blurry: 100 / 3D = 33cm.
A myopic prescription is a minus prescription. If the "sphere" power of your prescription reads -1.50 for example, you are nearsighted. Think of your eye as being like reading glasses, therefore the power of the eye is +1.50, which means your glasses are -1.50 to negate that power and get to zero. If the power of your eye is +1.50 and your glasses are only -1.00, that will leave you with +0.50 of nearsightedness and a slight blur at distance. If you the power of your eye is +1.50 and your glasses are -2.00, that means they are too strong and it forces your eye muscle to contract to focus just to see distance. This could result in eyestrain and headaches.
We can determine the focal length of the eye based on the prescription and vice versa. It is a simple calculation that can go both ways: 100 divided by the focal length of the eye (in centimeters) equals the prescription. For example, if a patient can see clearly up until 25cm, but beyond that becomes blurry, then their prescription is 100 / 25cm = 4D or -4.00D. Vice versa, if a patient's prescription is -3.00D, then we know that they can see up to 33cm, but beyond that becomes blurry: 100 / 3D = 33cm.
What is myopia management or myopia control?
Myopia is considered a worldwide epidemic in the way it is becoming more prevalent, beginning at younger ages, and progressing to much higher prescriptions than in generations past. We know that besides handicapped by thick glasses or contact lenses, myopia over -6.00 greatly increases the risk of blinding conditions like: glaucoma, retinal detachment, and myopic maculopathy.
Myopia Management or Myopia Control is taking an active step at reducing the progression of nearsightedness in your child. We can slow the progression by up to 60%. If a child is -2.00 and destined to be -8.00, that means they may end up at -4.00
Myopia Management or Myopia Control is taking an active step at reducing the progression of nearsightedness in your child. We can slow the progression by up to 60%. If a child is -2.00 and destined to be -8.00, that means they may end up at -4.00
At what age should I consider myopia management for my child?
Most children that are myopic will need their first pair of glasses around age 8. Their prescription tends to progress the fastest between the ages of 8-12. Once a child is myopic it is likely that their prescription will only get worse. This means myopia management should be initiated at the first signs of nearsightedness. The good news is that this means your child can start with ortho-k in lieu of glasses. Instead of waiting for the child to progress, we can initiate ortho-k so that we know we are doing everything we can to slow the progression of the disease. In theory, a patient can initiate ortho-k at age 6 and wear the lenses until 25 in which they are eligible for LASIK surgery to make their correction permanent, never having worn glasses a day in their life!
What is orthokeratology or ortho-k?
Ortho-K is a therapy of wearing special contact lenses while sleeping that gently reshape the cornea overnight. When the lenses are removed in the morning that patient experiences clear vision without the need for glasses or contacts during the day. The way in which the lenses reshape the cornea has also shown to help slow the progression of myopia up to 60%. Ortho-K can be initiated in lieu of a patient getting glasses. This means a 6 year old patient that is showing the signs of myopia can do these overnight lenses instead of glasses and continue the therapy into adulthood!
What is the Brilliant Futures or MiSight Program?
Brilliant Futures is a program utilized MiSight daily disposable soft contact lenses that have specially designed optics that reduce the progression of myopia. These lenses are worn during the day to correct the vision and must be worn at least 6 days per week for the full Myopia Management effect.
What is Atropine treatment?
Atropine is an eye drop that is frequently used during eye exams for pupil dilation. Studies have shown that a drop of atropine in the eyes at night of a myopic child can reduce the progression of myopia. Obviously, side effects of pupil dilation, light sensitivity, and trouble focusing at near were the main concern. Through the years, researchers have found that a low dose version of the medication can still provide excellent myopia control with little to no side effects. Typically, atropine is provided at 1.0%. Some treatments may vary, but a usually starting point for myopia control is 0.05%. Since this treatment is utilized at night, if there are side effects they are minimized because the child is asleep. Atropine is a good option if the child is not a candidate for contact lenses. It can also be used in conjunction with ortho-k or MiSight for additional myopia control for patients that are continuing to progress while on those other treatment methods. As of now, low dose atropine is only available at compounding pharmacies and is considered an off-label use. At SeeSharp, we are able to source the drop bottles to make it easy to pick up rather than finding a compounding pharmacy and paying variable prices.
