“I have a high prescription. Will my kids have a high prescription too?”
“Is it harmful for my child to be on a computer/tablet/phone for several hours a day? Will it damage their eyes?”
These are common questions from parents that we get all the time! The answer is… maybe! There’s a lot of research that is being done on these subjects lately as we are unfortunately seeing more and more children becoming nearsighted (myopic) much earlier and progressing at faster rates.
There’s some research that shows that the more time kids are spending on devices, the higher risk they are to begin increasing in nearsightedness. Kids are being given tablets and computers in school more now than ever before. Limiting your child’s screen time isn’t going to be as feasible as it used to be considering so much of their school work will be done on the internet.
While less screen time can be beneficial, if your child enjoys playing video games or surfing the web, you shouldn’t necessarily jump to taking away those privileges! Instead, encourage them to take a 5-10 minute break every 45-60 minutes.
Instead, we can consider some alternate treatment options!
One of the completely free methods to help slow down your child’s prescription is to have them spend more time outdoors. Studies have shown more time outdoors can reduce the progression of nearsightedness!
“Well apart from that, what else can we do?” Great question! There are 3 main ways to slow down the progression of nearsightedness:
- Ortho-Keratology Contact Lenses
- Soft Multifocal Contact Lenses
- Compounded Atropine Eye Drops
Ortho-Keratology (Ortho-K) contacts are a type of rigid contact lens that is worn while you sleep. It works by reshaping the front of the eye, the cornea, to correct for nearsightedness. This is a temporary effect and typically has to be worn nightly to keep the effect going. This type of lens is great for patients who want to slow down their child’s nearsightedness, but it can also be worn by adults who want the convenience of not needing glasses during the day, but don’t want to have LASIK!
Soft Multifocal contacts are another great option for myopia control. While there are so many multifocal lenses out there, only a few of them work, depending on the way the lens is designed. In our practice, we typically fit children into a daily disposable lens called NaturalVue. This lens is worn during waking hours only, then discarded.
Finally, atropine eye drops can also be compounded down to a much smaller percentage than is normally available. Atropine is actually the strongest dilating eye drop. When we dilate someone with it, it can last for up to two weeks! This doesn’t sound like a great effect to have to deal with to keep your vision from progressively worsening though. Instead, we take the 1.0% strength and have it compounded at a special pharmacy down to 0.1% instead. This reduces the chances of dilation in the eyes and provides the desired effect.
Dr. Soper and I currently offer all three methods of myopia control in our practice. If you are worried your child will suffer from becoming highly nearsighted, or we bring it up during your child’s examination, these treatment options are something to consider.
Being highly nearsighted can lead to decreases in quality of life, as well as increase your risk for several eye diseases like glaucoma, retinal detachments, and other problems that can lead to vision loss.
If you’re concerned your child may be at risk for becoming highly nearsighted, bring them in for an annual examination today! We’d be happy to discuss their risks and treatment options with you!