Find An Eye Doctor for my nearsighted child.
Does your eye doctor recommend vision options that correct nearsightedness and slow the progression of nearsightedness in children?
Overview
As research emerges about treatment options that slow the progression of nearsightedness in children, it’s important to find an eye care provider who goes beyond correcting nearsightedness (myopia) and offers myopia management. While eye doctors are adding myopia management to their practices, not all are currently providing these services. Find an eye care provider that practices myopia management and learn how to evaluate whether the provider offers myopia management.
Streamline your search for an eye care provider and ensure that the doctor you see will offer the myopia management services your child deserves.
Your child’s current and future vision depends on you finding an eye care provider who is offering myopia management services.
Four Steps to Find a Myopia Management Eye Care Provider:
Develop an initial list of eye care providers.
Identify a shortlist of two or three eye care providers.
Find out if they offer myopia management. See the questions to ask below.
Schedule an appointment.
How to develop an initial list of doctors
The first doctor on your list is your current optometrist. The best-case scenario is if you like your current optometrist and he or she practices myopia management then you are all set. But, if your eye doctor doesn’t offer these services then you have to look elsewhere.
Ask your family for recommendations. Who do they use?
Ask other mothers what optometrist their kids’ visit. Chances are there are eye doctors in your children’s circle of friends that several kids go to.
Ask your pediatrician for a recommendation. Hopefully, they are familiar with myopia management and are aware of the options available to slow the progression of nearsighted vision.
Look at online doctor locators provided by contact lens companies. You can either look up the doctors in a directory or fill out a form and they will send you a list based on your zip code. MiSight, a daily disposable soft lens, has an online directory. See what doctors near you prescribe MiSight or an ortho-k lens.
Put your optometrists’ shortlist into google maps and see how close they are to where you live. How far are you willing to drive? You may want to eliminate doctors that are too far away. While you are using google maps, see if there are a few doctors near where you live.
Once you have a prospective list, then the next step is research.
Research eye care providers
Put together a list of two or three doctors, listed in order of preference. Start at the top of the list and call the practice and ask questions from the list below. If they answer no to the questions, then cross them off the list.
Ask them whether they offer complimentary myopia management evaluations.
Find an optometrist who offers myopia management services for children. Someone who goes beyond correcting nearsighted vision and presents options to slow the progression of myopia.
Most of this research on locating an optometrist can be conducted online. And those that pass the initial online sniff test, can be vetted by a quick phone call.
Look at their website.
The easiest and fastest place to gather information is an optometry practice website.
Does the website look up to date? Is there a mention of myopia management? Is there a section for pediatrics? Are their pictures of children? Do they offer ortho-k? Do they prescribe MiSight 1Day, the only FDA-approved lens for slowing the progression of myopia.?
If their website has myopia management, or ortho-k, or MiSight, then it’s time to call the office.
Read Reviews
Check out Yelp or other review sites. Gauge the level of professionalism, customer service, and whether they are oriented towards families and the community. How many stars do they have? How many reviews. If there are enough reviews, they can give you an indication of what they are like.
Check out their Facebook page.
What pictures are they posting? Are they children-friendly?
Screening Questions for Myopia Management
Questions to ask on the phone, in an email or in person.
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Focus on Children
Does your practice cater to children, adults or seniors? What percent of the eye exams are for patients under 18, compared to adults and seniors? What is the doctor’s experience in treating children?
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Myopia Management Specialty
Does the doctor offer myopia management for children? What treatment options does he/she prescribe?
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Treatment Options
Does the doctor offer soft contact lenses options for myopia management? What lenses do they prescribe?
Does the doctor prescribe MiSight 1 day contact lenses?
Does the doctor currently prescribe orthokeratology? What lenses does he/she offer?