Myopia Control | Albuquerque | Sandia Vision Clinic

Get Help Preserving Your Child’s Visual Clarity

Children’s vision is an essential part of their learning, and many children will develop eye conditions that can make this growth difficult. Myopia is one of those eye conditions that can make development difficult for school-aged children.

Myopia is a common condition, both in children and adults, with about 42% of American children being myopic. Leaving myopia untreated in childhood can enable it to progress in adulthood, causing vision problems.

Our children’s eye exam can help detect myopia early in children, so we can help to slow the progression with our myopia management treatment methods, including contact lenses and eye drops.

Visit us today for a children’s eye exam to get your child’s eyes tested for myopia.

Book Appointment

About Myopia

Myopia, more commonly known as nearsightedness, is a vision condition where objects up close appear clear, but objects in the distance appear blurry.

The main cause of myopia is the elongation of the cornea, which doesn’t allow for light entering the eye to focus correctly.

While myopia mainly starts in childhood, adults can sometimes develop myopia due to stress or health conditions like diabetes.

How Myopia Can Affect Children

Children with myopia can be affected in many different ways. Important learning activities in school, such as reading, writing, and copying from the board, can be impacted if children are not able to see clearly.

Playing sports or other activities can be an enriching part of any child’s life. However, clear vision, depth perception, and hand-eye coordination can be important skills for participating in sports, making these activities more difficult for children with myopia.

These essential skills help to form children’s growth. Diagnosing and treating myopia early can help them to thrive as they develop.

How We Can Help

Slowing down the progression of myopia is all about early diagnosis through a children’s eye exam. Without myopia control in childhood, myopia can develop into high myopia. High myopia is extreme nearsightedness, which will always need to be corrected for clear vision.

Once we understand your child’s vision, we can discuss our myopia control treatments, including orthokeratology contacts, multifocal contacts, and atropine eye drops.

Orthokeratology Contacts

Orthokeratology (ortho-k) contacts are rigid contact lenses that children can wear at night to gradually reshape the cornea over time. The lens works to flatten the cornea to adjust the curvature.

Ortho-k contacts can help to restore clear vision for those with mild myopia.

Multifocal Contacts

Multifocal contact lenses can help to correct vision for those with myopia since they allow for clear vision of objects both far and up close.

There is also evidence that multifocal contact lenses can help slow down the progression of myopia due to the way light focuses on the contact lenses.

Atropine Eye Drops

Low-dose atropine eye drops can also help to slow down the progression of myopia when administered to children at bedtime.

Atropine is used in higher concentrations to dilate the pupils, but in lower concentrations, it has been found to slow down myopia’s progression with minimal side effects.

Book Your Child’s Next Eye Exam Today

Clear vision can help your child learn and grow to the best of their ability. Book an exam for your child and find out if they may require a myopia diagnosis and control treatment.

Book Appointment