When you have a child who has myopia, you can count on the condition to get worse as the years go on. Many children with myopia eventually develop a serious case of this vision problem. It is possible, however, to either stop the progression of the myopia or slow it down. Slowing it down generally means that it won't be as serious for the patient when he or she is an adult. We can help with myopia management for children to slow the progression as much as possible. If you are looking for an optometrist in Houston, contact Ella Eyes to make an appointment for your child. Let’s look at a few treatment option for this condition.
Atropine Drops
Myopia in children can often be controlled with the use of atropine drops. These are prescription eye drops that are used to stall the progression of nearsightedness. To control myopia progress, the drops must be administered regularly and on time. Our optometrist will tell you exactly when to administer it. It's important to make sure that it gets into the eye every time and that the child doesn't simply blink it away. It may take a little practice to get good at the process, depending on the age of your child. Atropine drops can be highly effective for myopia management for children.
Ortho-K Contacts
Using ortho-K contacts is another way to control myopia progress. These are contacts specifically designed for myopia control in children. They are only worn at night when the child is sleeping. The child puts them in at night and then removes them in the morning after waking up. As the contacts rest on the eyes during the night, they are exerting a small amount of pressure on the eyeballs. This changes the shape of the eyes slightly, and this helps with myopia.
Nearsightedness is caused by eyeballs that are slightly off in shape. When kids wear their ortho-k contacts, it not only helps to slow the progress of myopia, but it also means that the child won't need glasses during the day. These contacts may come with a learning curve for inserting and removing them, but they are an effective means of myopia control.
Contact Our Optometrists in Houston, TX
Myopia in children can be stopped or slowed in its progression. If you need an optometrist to give your child a means of myopia control, contact Ella Eyes to schedule an appointment with Dr. Diana Ngo and Dr. Hang T. Nguyen. Call us today at (713) 722-9066 to learn more or to book an appointment.
