Myopia Management

Protecting Their Eyes for the Future

Myopia, or nearsightedness, is a common vision condition that affects around 30% of the US population. It causes faraway objects to appear blurry, while closer objects are still clear.

Myopia occurs when the eyeball grows too long, or the cornea (the clear, front part of the eye) becomes overly curved. During childhood, myopia can worsen quickly, causing frequent changes in your child’s prescription and affecting their eye growth. As your child’s eyes continue to grow longer and their prescription increases, they face a significantly higher risk of developing conditions such as glaucoma, retinal detachment, and myopic maculopathy in adulthood.

We partner with Treehouse Eyes to offer myopia management to our young patients. Learn more about myopia management and its importance below.

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Why Is Myopia Management Important?

Rates of childhood myopia are increasing, with about 1 in 3 children currently affected. Myopia can impact your child’s success in school, sports, and other activities, as they struggle to focus on distant objects.

While traditional glasses can correct your child’s vision and help them see clearly, they do not prevent myopia from worsening. Myopia management involves specialty eyewear and other interventions that focus on slowing the progression of myopia, preserving your child’s eyesight, and lowering their risk of future eye diseases.

Detecting and Monitoring Myopia

Myopia, or nearsightedness, often begins between the ages of 7 and 13, when children are experiencing a fast rate of growth (including the growth of their eyes). We screen for myopia during our comprehensive children’s eye exams, checking for refractive errors and signs of eye elongation.

As part of our myopia detection and monitoring plan, we use the Topcon MYAH to measure the length of the eye from front to back, known as the axial length measurement. This measurement is a key identifier of myopia, as it shows whether your child’s eyes are the expected length for their age. An eye that is longer than the average is an indication of myopia.

We also use the Oculus Keratograph to map the surface of your child’s eye. This allows us to check the curvature of their cornea and to precisely fit contact lenses, if that is a part of their management plan.

Myopia cannot be reversed, making any changes to the eye length permanent, even if your child opts for laser vision correction surgery in the future. This means the risk of developing eye diseases that accompany high myopia cannot be reduced in the future. However, myopia progression can be slowed during childhood, resulting in a lower prescription and smaller axial length than without intervention.

Our myopia program is a form of preventive healthcare. We focus on identifying myopia early so we have the greatest chance of preserving their eyesight and health for the future.

Our Myopia Management Methods

Our treatment plans are customized to your child’s vision and lifestyle needs. Depending on their prescription, their age, and their preferences, we may recommend specialty glasses, contact lenses, or prescription eye drops.

During myopia treatment, we will schedule regular follow-up appointments to monitor your child’s vision and eye growth. This allows us to make any necessary adjustments to their treatment.

We use Stellest lenses from Essilor to manage myopia. These spectacle lenses are specially designed with two treatment zones: a central zone that corrects their nearsightedness for clear vision, and an outer zone that creates peripheral defocus to slow myopia progression.

Stellest lenses can be shaped to fit the frames that your child chooses.

We fit daily disposable contact lenses that are specially designed for myopia management. These contact lenses use specialized treatment zones to create peripheral defocus. That means the peripheral vision is focused in front of the retina, sending a signal to the eye to stop growing, rather than behind it, as single vision contact lenses and glasses do.

We fit both Abiliti 1-Day contact lenses by Acuvue and MiSight 1 day lenses by CooperVision for children with myopia. We may also prescribe multifocal lenses, such as NaturalVue Multifocal 1 Day and toric multifocal lenses, which help control myopia progression.

Orthokeratology, or ortho-k, is a specialty contact lens that is worn overnight to gently reshape the eye while your child sleeps. This provides clear vision throughout the day.

Because ortho-k lenses are worn only while sleeping, your child is free to participate in their regular activities, such as sports, outdoor play, and swimming, without concern for glasses or contact lenses. Ortho-k lenses can be a great option for active children and teenagers.

We may prescribe low-dose atropine eye drops, which are administered at night before bed, as a standalone treatment or in addition to one of the eyewear options above.

Atropine eye drops dilate the pupil. At low doses, this medication can help reduce myopia progression by around 50% to 60%.

Give Your Child the Gift of Clear Vision

Protecting your child from progressing myopia means preserving their vision for the future. Our team is here to guide you through every step of the myopia management process. We tailor each treatment to your child’s needs, making sure that their management plan doesn’t limit their ability to participate in the activities they love—in fact, it should enhance it!

Have more questions about myopia management? We’re happy to answer any concerns and provide additional information. Patient education is an important part of our treatment process; we want you and your child to understand how myopia can affect them and why management matters.

Book your appointment today to meet with our optometrists and discuss if myopia management is right for your child.

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Our Services

Visit Our Locations

San Marco Location

Find us in the San Marco area, near the intersection of Hendricks Avenue and Atlantic Boulevard. We’re next door to Crumbl Cookie and the Publix parking garage.

2039 Hendricks Ave, Unit 213
Jacksonville, FL 32207

Hours of Operation

Monday:

8 AM – 5 PM

Tuesday:

8 AM – 5 PM

Wednesday:

8 AM – 5 PM

Thursday:

8 AM – 5 PM

Friday:

8 AM – 5 PM

Saturday:

Closed

Sunday:

Closed

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CR 210 Location

Find us near the Watson Realty building on Hampton Point Drive. We’re across Old Country Road from the Cimarrone Golf Club. Plenty of free parking is available.