What You Can Expect if You’ve Been Diagnosed with Myopia

Myopia, a common vision disorder better known as nearsightedness, affects distance vision in children and adults. Individuals who are diagnosed with myopia can see objects located within proximity well, while objects farther away appear out of focus. Myopia is a progressive disorder that worsens over time, especially if it is not managed properly when diagnosed. Most cases of myopia are detected during childhood.

What Happens When You’re Diagnosed with Myopia?

Myopia occurs when the eyeball is too long, or when the cornea, which is the clear front cover of the eye, is too curved. This causes light entering the eye to be focused incorrectly, resulting in impaired distance vision. Myopia can be diagnosed during a standard, comprehensive eye exam. If you or your child have recently been diagnosed with myopia, here’s what you can expect:

• When an individual is diagnosed with myopia, the severity of the condition will be assessed to help determine the best therapeutic options available to treat the disorder.
• For a child with a mild case of myopia, the optometrist may prescribe eyeglasses. Eyeglasses are often the primary choice for correcting mild to slightly moderate cases of nearsightedness. While eyeglasses provide excellent vision correction, they cannot slow the progression of myopia alone.
• Another treatment for children diagnosed with myopia is Ortho-k lenses, also known as Orthokeratology, or corneal refractive therapy (CRT). This treatment requires the patient to wear a series of custom-designed, rigid contact lenses that steadily reshape the cornea’s curvature by placing pressure on it to flatten it. This changes how light entering the eye is focused. Patients wear the lenses for limited periods, primarily overnight. The lenses are then removed during the day. This treatment can provide clear vision for patients with mild myopia for most daily activities. Ortho-K lenses provide vision correction and work to slow the progression of myopia effectively. This is especially important for children diagnosed with myopia, who will live with this progressive vision disorder for many years to come.
• Another highly recommended treatment for children diagnosed with myopia is the CooperVision MiSight one-day lenses. These are soft, dual-focus contact lenses used to slow myopia progression in children ages 8-15. This specialty lens prevents the eye from growing too long, making it an effective option for controlling myopia progression and providing exceptional vision correction. MiSight lenses are the first FDA approved lenses for controlling the nearsightedness progression in children.
• Another effective therapy for patients diagnosed with myopia are atropine drops therapy. Atropine drops may be used alone or in conjunction with another treatment, such as eyeglasses or Ortho-K lenses. Atropine drops are typically used to dilate the pupil of the eye during routine eye exams or before and after surgical procedures. However, low doses of atropine may help slow the progression of nearsightedness. Children can benefit from atropine drop therapy.
• Adults over the age of 40 diagnosed with mild myopia may be prescribed multifocal contact lenses to provide vision correction at all distance. This can be achieved by using multiple prescriptions in a single contact lens. Multifocal contact lenses provide a high level of peripheral acuity and visual freedom. They also support an active lifestyle in a way that eyeglasses cannot.
• Refractive surgery may be recommended for adults over the age of 21, which reduces the need for eyeglasses or contact lenses. This surgery uses a laser that reshapes the cornea. After surgery, eyeglasses may still be needed for some of the time. However, it must be noted that refractive surgery is not necessarily an appropriate option for everyone diagnosed with myopia.

 

Enlist a Skilled Optometrist at MCLI and Take Control of Your Visual Health

It is critical to schedule regular eye exams for everyone in the family, especially if there is a family history of nearsightedness. Detecting myopia early leads to better visual health outcomes later in life, as early intervention is key to slowing the progression of this disorder.

 

There are many effective treatment options for those who are diagnosed with myopia. However, this disorder should be taken very seriously and not ignored. Failing to seek treatment to manage myopia can result in a host of other serious ocular diseases, including cataracts, glaucoma, myopic macular degeneration, and even blindness.

 

Call Miami Contact Lens Institute today to schedule regular, comprehensive eye exams for you and members of your family to address any visual problems one of you may be experiencing. MCLI will protect your family’s visual health for years to come.

 

Testimonial from Aboila, Satisfied Myopia Patient 
Fantastic team! Very friendly, explain things clearly. Great customer service and very competent doctor and staff. Shevonne, Isabella and Rick we’re all extremely helpful and Dr Kramer obviously knows her stuff. Will definitely come back for any further needs.