A parent’s guide to their child’s nearsighted vision.
Overview
Are you nearsighted? Is your child nearsighted? Kids that are nearsighted (or have myopia) see clearly up close, but things in the distance appear blurry. Most end up with some type vision correction to correct that fuzzy distance vision.
Glass or Contact Lenses Correct Nearsighted Vision in Children.
If your child is nearsighted, he or she is most likely using one of these vision correction options:- Single vision glasses
- Single vision daily or monthly disposable soft contact lenses
- Overnight wear contact lenses called orthokeratology
My child’s vision is corrected. Is that enough?
Many parents opt for single vision contact lenses and glasses that eliminate blurred distance vision and correct the refractive error. However, in recent years, we’ve learned that single vision glasses do not slow down the progression of nearsighted vision or myopia. 1 In single vision contact lenses studies involving children there was no change in the rate of progression of myopia compared to other methods. 2In other words, single vision glasses and single vision contact lenses correct the nearsighted vision, but haven’t been shown to slow down the progression. You now have a choice to buy glasses that correct nearsighted vision or contact lenses that correct the nearsighted vision and may help keep it from getting worse.
Discuss your options with your eye doctor.
Treatment Options That Slow the Progression of Nearsighted Vision
There are ways to improve your child’s vision that also may reduce the progression of nearsightedness and reduce the long-term health risks associated with high myopia. These options include certain types of daily wear contact lenses, overnight contact lenses and prescription eye drops.
Ask your eye care professional which ones may be recommended for your child and what the specific FDA approval is for the treatment option. MiSight contact lenses are the only option that is FDA-approved to both correct nearsighted vision and slow the progression of myopia in children ages 8-12 at the initiation of treatment..
Daytime Contact Lenses for Myopia Management
While most children wear single vision contact lenses, single vision lenses have not been shown to reduce myopia progression. However, contact lenses with multi-focal or multi-focal-like optics have been shown to reduce the progression of myopia in peer-reviewed articles. Multifocal contact lenses are traditionally prescribed to older adults to help with up-close vision needs like reading.
Some soft and hybrid contact lenses feature multi-focal-like optical designs and are being prescribed “off-label” for myopia control. This means that the lenses have FDA clearance for daily wear to correct myopia but don’t have the indication of slowing myopia progression. Your optometrist will let you know if these options are appropriate for your child.
In 2019, MiSight 1 day by CooperVision, received FDA approval to correct myopia (nearsightedness) and slow the progression in children with healthy eyes. This is the first and only contact lens in the United States to receive this approval.
Play sports? Enjoy the freedom from glasses with daytime wear or overnight wear contact lenses.
Overnight Contact Lenses
Overnight contact lenses, also known as ortho-keratology, are worn overnight and gently and comfortably reshape the front surface of the eye while your child sleeps. When your child wakes up in the morning and removes the contacts, he or she can enjoy daily activities with clear vision all day long, without the need for glasses or contacts.
Peer-reviewed studies have shown that kids that wear ortho-k lenses and don’t wear glasses during the day have greater self-esteem and are more willing to try new things. This lens-free lifestyle is less restrictive, so children are encouraged to be more active in sports and at school.3
The results published in medical journals have shown that the Ortho-K lenses may reduce nearsighted progression up to 50% or more compared to glasses and soft contact lenses.4
Ortho-K contact lenses have been successfully prescribed for myopia worldwide for over 20 years. While there is peer reviewed reserach, no ortho-k lens design has FDA approval for the indication of slowing myopia progression.
Ask your eye care professional about different contact lens options.
Prescription Eye Drops
Another treatment option is a prescription eye drop called atropine, which may be formulated to a specific concentration for myopia management. A low-dose of these drops are applied at night before bed and the child wears glasses or contact lenses during the day. These are prescribed by eye care professionals and are off-label for slowing the progression of myopia.
Researchers have observed that low doses of atropine significantly reduce the progression of refractive error (that’s the power in the glasses or contacts), but has less of an effect on axial length (which is the eye growing longer).5
Some eye care practitioners recommend atropine eye drops either alone or in combination with contact lenses that are known to reduce progression.
Low-dose atropine is part of several clinical studies in the US, Europe and Asia.
Glasses or Spectacles
Single vision spectacles or glasses have one lens power and are traditionally prescribed to kids to correct either nearsighted or farsighted vision. Single vision spectacles and single vision contact lenses have not been shown to slow the progression of myopia. In fact, they are used as control groups in myopia management clinical studies.
Today, eye care professionals have other options for your child than single vision glasses or single vision contact lenses.
There are spectacle lenses that have been shown to be effective in reducing myopia progression, but they are not available in the United States. The MiyoSmart lenses marketed by Hoya Vision slowed myopia progression by 60% in children 8 to 13 compared to those wearing single vision lenses. 6,7 SightGlass Vision is another spectacle lens that received clearance in the European markets.
Sources:
1 Sankaridurg P. Fitting Multifocal Contact Lenses for Myopia Control. Review of Cornea and Contact Lenses. February 2017
2 Walline JJ, Jones LA, Sinnott L et al. A randomized trial of the effect of soft contact lenses on myopia progression in children. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 2008; 49: 4702– 4706.
3 Zhao F, Zhao G, Zhao Z. Investigation of the Effect of Orthokeratology Lenses on Quality of Life and Behaviors of Children. Eye Contact Lens. 2018 Sep;44(5):335-338.
4 Li SM, Kang MT, Wu SS, Liu LR, Li H, Chen Z, Wang N. Efficacy, Safety and Acceptability of Orthokeratology on Slowing Axial Elongation in Myopic Children by Meta-Analysis. Curr Eye Res. 2016 May;41(5):600-8.
5 Chia A, Lu QS, Tan D. Five-year clinical trial on atropine for the treatment of myopia 2: myopia control with atropine 0.01% eyedrops. Ophthalmology. 2016; 123(2):391-9.
7 Lam CSY, Tang WC, Tse DY, et alDefocus Incorporated Multiple Segments (DIMS) spectacle lenses slow myopia progression: a 2-year randomised clinical trialBritish Journal of Ophthalmology 2020;104:363-368.