Myopia is a refractive error that causes blurry distance vision. It’s a growing problem today among children. Although there is no cure for myopia, our optometrist near you at Eyes & Optics can prescribe corrective lenses to improve the quality of your sight. A visit to our Las Vegas, NV, eye doctor can determine if you or your child has this condition.

Causes of Myopia

In a normal eye, the shape of the cornea is round, enabling light to focus directly onto the retina to give you clear sight. People with myopia have an elongated eye, which causes light to focus in front of rather than directly onto the retina surface. The result is blurry vision at a distance.

Myopia is a progressive condition in children, meaning it worsens with time. Children with myopia will continue to lose their distance vision until they become adults and their eyes stop growing. If your child has myopia, your eye doctor will need to adjust his prescription frequently throughout his formative years to compensate for these vision changes.

Myopia Treatment

The most common treatment for myopia is corrective lenses, i.e. prescription glasses or contacts. Adults also have the option of LASIK surgery to treat myopia and improve the quality of their sight.

LASIK, however, isn’t an option for children, as their eyes are still developing. For kids with myopia, our Las Vegas optometrist may recommend myopia control to slow down the progression of their condition until they reach adulthood and their eyes stabilize.

The following are some methods used for controlling myopia symptoms:

• Atropine eye drops
• Multifocal lenses
• Orthokeratology (ortho-K)

With ortho-K, your child will wear specialty contacts at night to reshape the cornea of his eye as he sleeps. This gives him a clearer vision the next day. Studies show that wearing ortho-K lenses nightly can dramatically reduce myopic progression in children.

See Your Las Vegas, NV, Optometrist Near You for Myopia Treatment

To learn more about myopia control and treatment, contact Eyes & Optics in Las Vegas, NV, at 702-254-0332