Why is Managing Your Child's Nearsightedness Important?
Although eyeglassesand standard contact lenses can correct a person’s vision, they do not treat the underlying cause of myopia or slow its progression.
Myopia significantly increases the risk of developing sight-threatening eye diseases later in life, such as cataracts, glaucoma, retinal detachment and macular degeneration. The higher your child’s myopia, the greater the risk.
If you’re concerned about your child’s long-term eye health and vision, contact Drs. Farkas, Kassalow, Resnick & Associates in New York City today. our eye doctors can help.
What is Myopia Management?
Myopia management is an area of eye care that uses custom treatments to prevent or slow your child's myopia progression. Depending upon your child's specific needs, our eye care team in New York City will be able to prescribe management options that can help your child maintain clearer vision for longer.
We specialize in myopia treatment to slow progression of nearsightedness using the following methods:
Myopia Management Reviews
I was 11 when I first came to this practice’s Roslyn location after failing my eye screening in the fifth grade. My mom was a long-time patient, and her near-sighted genes were passed on to me, so going to the eye doctor became a family affair. From my first appointment, we decided to go ahead with ortho-k contact lenses because of the many benefits it had. I was an athlete, spent a lot of time reading or studying, and had environmental allergies – all of which were made easier by wearing contact lenses at night rather than during the day. The best part of all is that I am now 23 and my eye prescription has been stable and pretty much the same as what it was 12 years ago.
When I tell people about my ortho-k lenses, they either are shocked that such a lens exists or don’t believe me. At sleepovers, my friends were always amazed at how I was putting in my hard lenses while they were taking their soft lenses out. Even with the lenses in, I watch TV comfortably while I drift into sleep and let the lenses do their thing. On lazy mornings, I leave the lenses in while I doom scroll on my phone until I finally get out of bed. I am still amazed at how great my vision is when I take them out. To be able to see clearly without anything during the day is so beneficial for my lifestyle. I am extremely grateful that I have been able to wear these lenses, and I plan on continuing to wear them for as long as I can!
The icing on the cake is that this practice, because of the process and follow-up appointments, has become like family to me. The doctors and technicians have been incredible all these years and always addressed any questions I had. When I had concerns about skipping a night of sleeping in the lenses, they calculated a glasses prescription that would work for a one-day reversal of my prescription. When I was having severe allergies, we worked out a way to temporarily wear soft lenses until they resolved. I know that this practice always has my back. For all these reasons, I would recommend ortho-k lenses to anyone who is eligible – they are truly life-changing.
Symptoms of Myopia
- Your child has difficulty seeing things clearly at a distance
- Difficulties seeing the board in class
- Your child squints to see far away
- They complain of headaches and eyestrain
- Difficulties with sports that involve small balls, such as baseball or tennis
Myopia and Eye Diseases
As your child’s myopia progresses and worsens, their risk of developing vision-threatening eye diseases later is significantly increased.
The chances of developing permanent vision loss from glaucoma, macular degeneration or retinal disease increases by 10x – even if your myopia isn’t that severe!
Treatment with Myopia Management
The good news? Myopia management and regular eye exams with our optometry team can help your child regain clear vision, and slow down or even stop their eyes from worsening.
Myopia management will also decrease their risk of developing an ocular disease.
How Do I Know If My Child Needs Myopia Management?
If you are concerned about your child’s myopia, call our practice today. our eye doctors will help you understand more about your child's nearsightedness and will determine whether your child is a candidate for myopia management.
Take our myopia assessment online to find out whether your child could benefit from this life-changing treatment.
Our Myopia Management Team
The treatment and management of dry eye as well as co-management of patients desiring refractive and cataract surgery are an integral part of Dr. Resnick’s practice.
Myopia increases the risk of serious eye diseases
Myopia can significantly increase your risk of developing potentially sight-threatening eye conditions in the future. But how much does your risk grow, exactly?
Research shows that the worse your myopia is, the higher your risk. For example, your risk of developing myopic maculopathy, an especially severe form of macular degeneration, is 2.2x higher if your prescription is -2.00, and jumps to 9.7x higher at -4.00, 40.6x higher at -6.00, and is a whopping 126.8x higher at a prescription of -8.00.
This is why it’s so essential to stop myopia progression in its tracks with myopia management.
What Factors Increase Risk of Myopia?
Our eye care professionals have pinpointed a number of factors that may lead to an increased risk of nearsightedness:
Having parents who are also nearsighted increases risk.
Developing myopia before 12 years old significantly increases risk of severe myopia.
Spending too much time on digital screens and reading books can strain the eyes, increasing risk of nearsightedness.
