Protect Your Child’s Eyesight from Myopia
Myopia, or nearsightedness, occurs when your eye focuses light in front of your retina, rather than directly on it, leading to trouble seeing distant objects clearly.
The refractive error found in myopia is usually caused by eyes that are too long or corneas that are too curved. Children with myopia typically see their eyesight worsen and the strength of their prescription increase more rapidly than adults, as their eyes grow.
Without intervention during childhood, myopia will progress faster and more significantly. Once your kid’s eyesight has been affected by myopia, it cannot be reversed. Booking regular eye exams is a vital first step in detecting and defending against high myopia.
Request AppointmentSigns for Myopia in Children
As myopia management methods work better the earlier they begin, it’s important to watch for symptoms of vision problems between eye exams. Some common signs of myopia in kids can include:
- Complaints of vision problems
- Squinting or head tilting
- Covering or closing one eye to see
- Holding objects close to their face
- Frequent headaches
- Poor performance in school
- Short attention span
- Disinterest in near work such as reading, Lego, etc.
- Delayed learning of the alphabet
- Skipping words or letters while reading or writing
Many of these signs overlap with symptoms of learning and developmental challenges; it’s essential to have your child’s vision assessed when you notice these symptoms, so you can rule out or correct vision problems before diagnosing other conditions.
Why Does Myopia Control Matter?
Traditional glasses can correct vision problems and allow your child to see clearly according to their prescription, but they don’t prevent myopia from worsening. Myopia control helps to slow the progression of nearsightedness in kids by using specialized glasses and contact lenses.
There are several reasons why myopia control is important:
- Quality of life: Myopia control can slow myopia and preserve your child’s sight, allowing them to see clearly without glasses for longer.
- Preventing complications: Any amount of myopia can increase the risk of complications including glaucoma, macular degeneration, and retinal detachment in the future.
- Keep their options open: A lower prescription in childhood makes laser vision correction in adulthood simpler and less risky.
Our Approach to Myopia Control
Our team is experienced in a variety of myopia control methods. Because your child is unique, their treatments will be tailored to them. Our treatment recommendations depend on your kid’s age, the stage of their myopia, and lifestyle factors such as sports and activities.
After a thorough examination of their eyes, we’ll discuss which treatment options we suggest with you and your child. Once we decide on a treatment plan, we’ll book follow-up appointments to monitor any changes to their eyes or vision.
Our Treatments
We’ll work with you and your child to manage their myopia using different methods depending on their age, eyesight, and preferences. Some of the treatments we offer include:
- Atropine eye drops: Low-dose atropine eye drops are administered daily to your child to slow the progression of myopia.
- MiSight 1 day: Soft daily disposable contact lenses that help to slow myopia progression in children who begin wearing them at ages 8–12.
- Multifocal contact lenses: Contacts that have two or more prescriptions in a single lens. These contact lenses focus central vision on the retina and peripheral vision in front of the retina to help slow the elongation of your child’s eyes.
- Myopia control glasses: Glasses with specialized lenses designed to correct your child’s vision and slow the progression of myopia.
- Ortho-k: Orthokeratology lenses are worn at night to gently reshape the eye so your child can go glasses-free throughout the day.
Measuring the Impact
An essential piece of our treatment approach is taking various measurements to objectively judge if our myopia control methods are working for your child.
We measure your child’s axial length, or the distance between the front and back of the eye, at the beginning of their myopia management journey. Axial length is measured in millimetres through a noninvasive scan. Changes to your child’s axial length over time may indicate progressive myopia.
Additionally, we may use corneal topography to measure the shape and curvature of their cornea. This measurement can help us check for astigmatism. It’s also an important step in fitting contact lenses such as MiSight 1 day, ortho-k, and multifocal contacts if they are your preferred treatment method.
Beyond these specific measurements, we’ll also track changes to their prescription and monitor their overall eye health through routine eye exams.
Care for the Future of Your Child’s Eyesight
Myopia control is most effective when started early. If your child has been diagnosed with myopia, we’re here to help. We can guide you through each step of the process.
Don’t wait for your child to show signs of vision trouble before booking an eye exam. Visit us regularly so we can help to protect your child’s vision from irreversible changes caused by myopia.
Request AppointmentOur Vision Services
In-House Lab: Your New
Glasses Made Fast Right Here
Get your new glasses fast with our swift turnaround on most single vision prescriptions and a wide range of in-stock lens options. If you’re replacing your lenses, but keeping your current frames, we won’t need to send your glasses away. You can continue wearing your glasses until the lenses are ready.
In-House Lab: Your New
Glasses Made Fast Right Here
Get your new glasses fast with our swift turnaround on most single vision prescriptions and a wide range of in-stock lens options. If you’re replacing your lenses, but keeping your current frames, we won’t need to send your glasses away. You can continue wearing your glasses until the lenses are ready.
Visit Our Oshawa Eye Clinics
Simcoe Office
Vision Care Centre
We have convenient free parking just behind our building.
- 136 Simcoe St N
- Oshawa, ON L1G 4S7
Hours of Operation
*Saturdays once a month
Glazier Office
Medical Centre
Find us in the Glazier Medical Centre. Our Glazier eye clinic is accessible, with convenient ramp access and powered doors.
- 11 Gibb St.
- Oshawa, ON L1H 2J9
Hours of Operation
*Saturdays once a month
