You may notice your child’s prescription gets a little stronger after every annual eye exam. It can be concerning to see their vision change, leaving you wondering whether there’s anything you can do to support their long-term eye health. Our team with Total Vision Culver City can help you explore options beyond just getting new glasses each year.
Fortunately, specially designed contact lenses can be an effective tool for slowing the progression of myopia in children and teenagers. This approach, known as myopia management, focuses on both correcting blurry distance vision and addressing the underlying issue of eye growth.
What Is Myopia and Why Does It Worsen?
When you have myopia (also called nearsightedness), it means that the eye has grown slightly too long from front to back. This causes objects far away appear blurry while things up close are clear, because the light entering the eye is focusing in front of the retina (the back of the eye) instead of directly on it.
For many children, myopia can worsen during their school-age years and into their teens because the eye is still actively growing. Over time, this growth can lead to higher prescriptions, and in some cases, high myopia.
How Standard Lenses Correct Vision
Traditional glasses and contact lenses do a great job of helping you see clearly for your day-to-day activities. They work by bending light so that it focuses properly on the central part of your retina, sharpening your distance vision.
However, these single-vision lenses can sometimes cause the light that hits the sides of your retina to focus at a point behind it. This can send a signal to the eye to keep growing longer to “catch up” to that light, which may contribute to the worsening of myopia over time in some people.
The Role of Special Contact Lenses for Myopia
How These Lenses Work Differently
Myopia management contact lenses are designed with a different goal than just correcting blurry vision. They feature unique zones that correct your child’s blurry central vision while also changing how light focuses in their peripheral (side) vision.
This design helps bring peripheral light to a focus in front of the retina, which may send a signal to the eye that it can slow its elongated growth. The result is a lens that provides clear vision today while actively helping to manage myopia progression for the future.
Types of Myopia Management Contacts
An eye doctor can help determine a suitable option for your child’s needs, as early intervention is a key factor in successful myopia management. Common choices include:
- Multifocal soft lenses: These are daily wear contacts with different prescription powers in different zones of the lens.
- Ortho-K lenses: These are rigid gas-permeable lenses worn overnight to gently reshape the cornea (the outer layer of the eye), helping with clear vision during the day without glasses or contacts.
Are Contact Lenses a Good Choice for Your Child?
What Is the Ideal Age to Start?
There’s no magic age when a child is ready for contact lenses. The decision depends more on your child’s maturity, personal hygiene habits, and level of responsibility. Some children are ready as young as 8, while others may be better suited in their early teens.
We can help you assess if your child might be ready during their next eye exam. We can discuss the level of care involved and talk about how to wear and handle contact lenses safely.
Benefits Beyond Vision Management
For many children, especially those who are active in sports, contact lenses offer more freedom than glasses. They can provide a wider field of view because they don’t have any frames in the way, and take away worries about glasses fogging up, slipping down, or breaking during play.
Create a Myopia Management Plan
A myopia management plan is a proactive and long-term strategy for your child’s eye health. It involves more than just a single type of lens: It requires consistent care and regular monitoring to track its effectiveness.
Working with an eye doctor in Los Angeles is an important part of this journey. Routine exams help our team measure changes in your child’s prescription and eye length, so the plan remains tailored to their needs as they grow.
What to Expect at a Consultation
We aim to make our consultation process straightforward and supportive. When you come in, you can expect your appointment to look something like this:
- Our team can perform a comprehensive eye health evaluation to help us get a complete picture of your child’s vision.
- Our team can have a conversation with you and your child about lifestyle, daily activities, and visual needs.
- You can receive personalized recommendations based on the exam and discussion, so you can make an informed choice for your family.
Let’s Manage Their Myopia Together
Taking a proactive approach to your child’s vision can make a meaningful difference for their future. Our team with Total Vision Culver City is here to help you explore myopia management options and create a plan that fits your child’s needs. Schedule a consultation to learn more.
