Myopia Control in Kids

Eye exams by an optometrist are important in the early detection and preventative care treatment of myopia in children. The condition is characterized by being able to see near objects clearly whereas faraway objects appear blurry. We here at Springfield Opticians, with our locations in Holmes, PA, Springfield, PA, and Chadds Ford, Pike, want to remind parents of the importance of eye care for children to diagnose eye conditions and diseases.

Treating Myopia in Children

An optometrist in one of our offices can provide preventative care for myopia, which is also known as nearsightedness. If our eye doctor finds it in your child, there may be different ways to treat it.

Single lens eyeglasses are one choice, especially if your child's eye muscles are not coordinated or if your child will also wear contact lenses. Ortho-K lenses are rigid lenses that children wear overnight to gently reshape their eyes. They allow them to go without eyeglasses during the day.

Multifocal daytime contact lenses are soft lenses. The center-distance type helps children see distant objects and the peripheral-zone parts of these contacts allow them to focus closer to an object. Another regimen that our eye doctor may recommend is eye drops.

Scheduling Your Child's First Eye Exam

Bring children to our eye doctor early in their lives. It is best to have myopia diagnosed before a child is 10 years of age. While pediatric eye care may not be able stop the progression of nearsightedness, it may be able to slow its progress.

Contact Us for Treatment

Children should have their first eye exam when they are around 6 months of age and the next at age 3. Then take them for another of their pediatric eye exams before they enter first grade. After that, your child should get pediatric eye care annually between the ages of 6 and 18 if they have myopia or an eye disease. Otherwise, see our optometrist at Springfield Opticians in either Holmes (610) 461-7353, PA, Springfield, (610) 543-9275, PA, or Chadds Ford (610) 558-3142, Pike, every two years