Myopia
When a child has myopia, otherwise known as nearsightedness, there are methods of myopia control that can be used to stop or slow down the progression of this eye condition. Myopia treatments can be highly effective at this, and a childrens eye doctor can prescribe the right treatment for your child. Pediatric eye care requires that an optometrist conduct a pediatric eye exam so that your child’s degree of myopia can be assessed and the best treatment chosen. If you are interested in myopia treatments for your child, call our optometry center, 20/20 Vision Care, serving Pearl, MS, to make an eye care appointment.
Myopia Control With Eye Drops
There is a type of eye drop, called atropine, that is used for various functions by optometrists. When the dose is a low one, it works well to control myopia in children. Atropine eye drops can’t reverse the myopia- the only thing that can reverse myopia is surgery, and children are not candidates for LASIK. What these drops do is to slow the rapid progression of nearsightedness that is so common in children with the condition. This can mean that the myopia won’t progress as far as it would have without the drops. These eye drops are generally used once a day, at night, to control this progression. Many children have never used eye drops before, and this may be a new experience for them that they have to get used to. After a few days of using the atropine drops, many kids will be used to them and get into the routine of using them.
Speciality Contacts
Contacts for children? Normally that would be rare, but ortho-k contacts are specifically made for your child’s eyes to correct the shape of the eyeball temporarily. There is some evidence that like atropine drops, ortho-k contact lenses can slow down the progression of this eye condition so that it doesn’t get as bad. After a pediatric eye exam, a childrens eye doctor on our team will measure the eye of your child to have the contacts made for a custom fit. These contacts are only worn at night while your child is sleeping. Then, during the day, the eyeball will have changed in shape enough that glasses aren’t necessary.
Get Pediatric Eye Care
When your family is in need of optometry care for your child, call us at (601) 939-3753 for 20/20 Vision Care serving Pearl, MS, to schedule your child’s appointment. We tailor pediatric eye care to the child so that they are able to get an accurate diagnosis as well as any treatments they may need.