If your child has trouble seeing the board at school but can read a book up close with ease, myopia may be the cause. While glasses and standard contact lenses can correct blurry distance vision, they do not address the underlying progression of myopia. At Clarke EyeCare Center, we offer myopia management strategies designed not just to correct vision, but to slow the progression of nearsightedness and help protect your child’s long-term eye health.
 

Understanding Myopia and Why Progression Matters

Myopia occurs when the eye grows too long from front to back, causing light to focus in front of the retina instead of directly on it. As the eye continues to elongate, the prescription becomes stronger.

Higher levels of myopia are associated with an increased risk of serious eye conditions later in life, including retinal detachment, glaucoma, and myopic macular degeneration. Slowing progression during childhood can significantly reduce these long-term risks. Myopia management focuses on controlling how quickly the eye grows during these critical developmental years.
 

How Myopia Management Works

Modern research shows that peripheral vision plays a key role in eye growth. Traditional glasses and contacts correct central vision but may allow peripheral defocus that signals the eye to continue elongating.

New myopia management treatments are designed to:

• Correct central vision clearly
• Create a specific type of peripheral defocus
• Send signals that help slow excessive eye growth

By altering how light focuses across the retina, these treatments can help reduce the rate at which myopia worsens.
 

Orthokeratology (Ortho-K)

Orthokeratology, commonly known as Ortho-K, uses specially designed rigid gas-permeable contact lenses worn overnight. While your child sleeps, the lenses gently reshape the cornea. In the morning, the lenses are removed, allowing clear vision throughout the day without glasses or contacts.

Benefits of Ortho-K:

• Daytime freedom from glasses and contacts
• Non-surgical and reversible
• Effective at slowing myopia progression in many children
• Ideal for active kids and athletes

Ortho-K not only provides clear daytime vision but also creates the peripheral optical changes needed to help control eye growth.
 

Essilor Stellest Lenses

For children who prefer glasses, Essilor Stellest lenses offer an innovative spectacle-based myopia management option. These lenses incorporate highly aspherical lenslet technology that creates a myopia control signal across the retina.

Advantages of Stellest Lenses:

• Worn like regular eyeglasses
• No contact lens handling required
• Clinically shown to significantly slow myopia progression
• Comfortable and cosmetically appealing

Stellest lenses allow children to enjoy clear vision while receiving consistent myopia management treatment throughout the day.
 

The Importance of Early Monitoring

Children’s eyes can change rapidly. Regular eye exams allow us to:

• Track prescription changes
• Measure axial length (eye growth)
• Adjust treatment as needed
• Ensure optimal visual performance

Myopia management is not a one-size-fits-all solution. It is an ongoing, proactive approach designed to protect your child’s future vision.
 

Schedule Your Child’s Eye Exam Today

Myopia is more than just needing stronger glasses each year - it is a progressive condition that can impact long-term eye health. Fortunately, today’s advanced treatment options make it possible to slow progression and reduce future risks.

Contact Clarke EyeCare Center to schedule a pediatric eye exam and learn which myopia management treatment option is right for your child. Visit our office in Wichita Falls, Texas, or call (940) 691-5645 to book an appointment today.