Myopia Control in Kids

Once myopia has started, there is no way to reverse it. However, it can be controlled so that it doesn't get as pronounced as it otherwise would. In children, myopia tends to progress rapidly. Once adulthood starts, vision prescriptions often stabilize and don't progress anymore. If your child has myopia, you should talk to an optometrist at the next eye care appointment to find out whether the eye doctor recommends myopia control for them. At Miller Optometry, we have provided our patietns with myopia control services for many years.

Atropine Eye Drops

Atropine drops are a common type of myopia control that can be administered to children. They are eye drops prescribed by the optometrist to slow or stop the child's myopia from progressing. While this won't reverse the condition, it can make a big difference in a child's final vision prescription by the time they become an adult. These eye drops are administered by the parents each night when it's time for bed. Atropine eye drops are a myopia control option for some kids, but they may not work for every child.

Ortho-K Lenses

For some kids, ortho-k contact lenses are the best method of myopia control from the eye doctor. These are a type of contact lens that is made to be worn at night to help correct vision and slow or stop myopia progress. When these are worn every night, the child can go throughout the next day without wearing glasses. These contacts gently cause a reshaping of the eyeball for clearer vision, though this is a temporary vision correction method. If the contacts are no longer being worn, the child will have to go back to wearing glasses for their myopia.